Scwair One presents Speaking of Success (SÖS) — episode three, solo. 
A week of forced conversations, one question asked in public, and what an hour with YMCA volunteers at Victoria Station taught me about the habit of speaking.

The week before, I'd bottled it. 
I was at a talk, had a question ready, and didn't ask it.

So this week I went back – to a media trade show at Olympia – with one specific goal. Ask a question. Out loud. In a room full of people.

I did. Last one up. To Alexis, the principal product manager for colour at Adobe Premiere. Felt slightly negative the second it left my mouth. He was gracious about it. And afterwards I cornered him just as he was leaving – which felt awkward and slightly selfish – and asked him how he'd got so comfortable on stage. His answer was less complicated than I expected.

Then I bumped into Adam, a motion designer I used to know. Got him on camera. Then went on a mission to talk to as many strangers as possible – surreptitiously sloping up to people on stands and asking them about their thing.

Then, on the way back to Victoria, I said 'I'll be back' to a YMCA fundraiser I was walking past. And ended up in a conversation that lasted an hour.

I would never have had that conversation if I hadn't made a decision earlier that day.

That's the thing about making a habit of it. It gets easier. And you feel better than you expect.

I'm Andy Greenhouse. And I'm a creative evolutionist. I help people, brands and businesses evolve in an ever-changing landscape.

Find me writing daily on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andygreenhouse My video agency @ swhype.com And if you're looking for your tribe… maybe I'll see you at Scwair1 — https://scwair1.com

IN THIS EPISODE:

• The week before: having a question ready and not asking it – and deciding that wasn't happening again
• Asking a question at an Adobe talk at a media trade show in Kensington, what it felt like to finally do it, and why it came out slightly more negative than intended
• What Alexis, Adobe's principal product manager for colour on Premiere, said about getting comfortable with public speaking – and why the answer is simpler than most people think
• Getting motion designer Adam on camera talking about his own first public speaking experience at the same show
• What it actually feels like to make yourself talk to strangers on exhibition stands when you'd normally slope past
• The YMCA conversation at Victoria Station that lasted an hour – and why it only happened because of a conscious decision made earlier that day
• Why making a habit of putting yourself in situations is the thing, and how quickly it starts to feel less terrifying and more like something you actually want to do

I'm Andy Greenhouse.
And I'm a creative evolutionist.
I help people, brands and businesses evolve in an ever-changing landscape.

Find me writing daily on LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/andygreenhouse

My video agency @ swhype.com

And if you're looking for your tribe...
Maybe I'll see you at Scwair1.