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The human side of business

Archives for September 2015

Small Business

Fluency

September 11, 2015 · By Amy Swift Crosby

FluencyYou can insert competency, naturalness, authority into this if that feels better, but here’s what we talk about when we talk about fluency.
You do this work at the highest level without thinking about techniques or mechanics.
You’re comfortable enough to think through questions and answers, without panicking about what’s “right” – thanks to experience.
You can be quiet – because sometimes you don’t need to talk.
You can be brilliant, without preparing for it.
You can manage surprises without losing your place in the script.
All of this happens when you develop a fluency in a skill, a sport, a relationship, a way of being. It’s a great place to be, right? But there will always be new things you get into where you’re a beginner – you’re on the JV team (and it’s uncomfortable for a varsity player like yourself.)
When I first started moderating panel discussions I was very focused on my questions – now I hardly look at them because I take cue’s from people’s answers, and aim to drive the conversation genuinely, but in a natural direction that serves the audience and gets the most from the panelist.
On the other hand, there’s my tennis game. I was a social player until this summer when I started taking lessons. I’m in the JV phase where I think about every stroke, my leg positions, my racquet – it’s all in my head. There’s very little naturalness. But if I keep going (and who doesn’t want to wear a tennis costume legitimately) maybe I’ll gain some fluency and stop THINKINg so much.  And become good, if not fluent.
It’s important to know your fluencies, and your JV sports. Expectations change when you see the game you’re playing.
Share either of yours on our FB Forum – this is where we talk about anything there is to talk about.

 

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About Me

photo of Amy Swift Crosby

Amy Swift Crosby is a brand strategist and copywriter who has positioned or voiced messaging across the commercial spectrum, from icons like Ford, BVLGARI, Pottery Barn, Pantene and Virgin, to boutique brands like The Wild Unknown, fitness franchise Barre3 and the rebrand of legendary metaphysical bookstore, Bodhi Tree. She has leveraged this expertise to help entrepreneurial women and small businesses owners hone their skills, mission and message, while uncovering their own “voice.” This blog explores “the human side of business,” and universal themes like uncertainty, anxiety, the tension between engagement and disconnection, personal value and most importantly, of finding - and hearing - our own voices in our everyday life.

Photo - Andrew Stiles

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SMARTY began as a thriving community in Los Angeles and Boston with weekly panel discussions and events designed to better understand the mindset and growth strategies behind successful entrepreneurs. Today, SMARTY is a weekly blog written by Amy Swift Crosby who chronicles her life as a creative, parent, entrepreneur and spiritual seeker. As an urban refugee living in a New England seaside village, she unpacks topics ranging from uncertainty and doubt to the built environment and advertising. More on Amy.

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