Thirty Hours to Art

The “Back to Basics” Series

“He who works with his Hands is a Laborer.
He who works with his Hands and his Head is a Craftsman.
He who works with Hands, Head and Heart is an Artist!”
— St. Francis of Assisi
In our experience, a lot of business communication is a little restricted.

There are a lot of “facts,” some opinion, a few hopeful wishes, and a lot of redundant documentation… under the heading of “see how hard we worked…” All in text and numbers. (It would take more time to be simpler or faster…)

It’s not artful, not well constructed, it lacks pictures, a graphic identity or a unique visual signature. And it often seems to be “without Heart.” There’s no warmth. No creativity. No sense of commitment to betterment. No noble purpose. No insight. It’s all about filling the space in the meeting – while perhaps staving off embarrassment.

The State of Things — such as it is…

The fault lies not in our PowerPoint. It’s a great tool… But we have not raised our thinking or skills to a level which allows us to give this superb tool a workout…

The fault lies with us. Good news: It’s a LOW bar… Can you be better?

Here’s the program:

Decide!

• That you’re going to set the standard of excellence around here going forward.
• That you’re going to spend a month of free time (30 hours) unscrambling, deconstructing and Mastering PowerPoint — the latest version you can get.
• That you’re going to read, study, enquire and get good at thinking and communicating not only with words and numbers (or PowerPoint) but also with graphics, and artistic, and pictorial tools.

One month. An honest hour every day… Less eating out. No movies, TV, or social media. Learn! Just, learn!

Then, Plan a Coming Out moment: an office presentation with a three-page handout, a whiteboard at school, a single page sketch on a flip chart at the town hall, some gestures with the sermon/lesson at church. Come on out! Show us what you’ve got. Now stick with that and keep polishing those skills and the commitment to clear the next, higher bar!

[Perhaps you’ve got the alternate problem: Too Much “SKTE!” In this case, the program might entail editing all the material coming at you down to a series of shorter presentations that you can bring up when the situation demands it. Rather than simply approaching every opportunity as a presentation, you can listen to the client/prospect and form an opinion about what he needs, then pull out just the compact idea that he needs to solve today’s problem.]

That’s it. Once, maybe twice a year, devote your extra time to improving your art. Your hands and head have to work anyway, but raising the bar and putting your heart into the mix can make your work into an Art…

Applications

1. For You
Is it enough to survive? Or are you just a little driven to raise the bar in your life and take your place among the best? It doesn’t happen overnight. And it requires the genuine and sustained commitment of time over time. But if you set aside a month to grow your skills, the payback will be there. And look, if you’re not willing to invest in yourself, why should anyone else? The path to leadership and artistry begins with devoting yourself to learning.

2. At Home
Maybe your kids have some dreams: carving, painting, cooking, drawing, building, skating… So, make this deal with them. Set aside the time. Learn, practice and grow. Get a teacher maybe. Do it together! What’s the worst that could happen? You all grow and discover that there’s more to life than social media and little tiny screens!

3. At Work
An hour a day — 30 hours — can make a tremendous difference in a particular skill or expertise. Think of it as a no-money investment in your future. PowerPoint, Props, a collection of appropriate Pictures, improving your skill at Hand-Lettering a board, a chart or Thank You notes. There are a variety of ways to build a skill and propel yourself into a special class. Find the tool you choose to make into an art and start finding the time!

Some people make us want to listen. That’s an Art. You can’t do it without concentrating, without working, without putting your heart into it. But if you do invest the time and the desire — you cannot fail to touch us with your Art.

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