Disrupt: Do I Know You?

We are really not treating each other well out here.

From this week alone:

1. Waiting for a bus with embroidery in my lap, my phone is out of sight (actually in my bag somewhere). The (adult) woman next to me is playing a handheld game, her phone is beside her. She turns and barks, “What time is it?” “Can you tell me when the bus is getting here?” I am pretty happy to accommodate people, but really?
2. Giving a short presentation at a meeting for a non-profit where I volunteer. Someone has taken offense with my characterization of a point. She approaches me afterward and dives into it. She asks no questions, she simply educates me on the history I don’t know because it happened before I was in this role — intensely. Her history, though interesting, is unrelated to actual recent history. She admits she may be having a personal reaction, yet continues.
3. Walking in downtown Boston, and a woman exits a building looking at her phone and rams into me. She barely breaks stride without a single word.

All of these examples (I’m sure you have a few also) are rooted in the internal world. In focusing only on what you need, you want, you feel any given moment. But that simply cannot be the way we enter the world. We would destroy each other and never even notice. The fact is th humans are not just beings, we are also humans doing. That requires awareness and real connection.

Today, notice where you are internally focused in the outside world and disrupt that in favor of a wider view. Vocal communication must have its intention in human connection.

Gina Razón is the principal voice specialist at GROW Voice LLC, a full-service voice and speech studio in Boston’s Back Bay.  She has over 16 years of experience both as a teacher of voice and speech, and a voraciously curious voice user.  Gina has worked professionally as a classical singer for over a decade and more recently as a professional public speaker.  For more information on the studio or to book Gina visit www.growvoice.com.