How do you communicate with a group of people? Do you like to speak to an audience or write a white paper, blog, column, article, or blog? Which is the scariest and which do you prefer??
Some people are better at communicating, via the written word, especially in this age of social media, when it is easy, anonymous, and you are a part of one side of whatever subject you are championing. Others revel in standing in front of people and leading a seminar or presenting a TED talk about a familiar topic and can defend their position quickly. There are no consequences, and it is not scary when other people also agree with you.
Public speaking is a challenging proposition for me. I would need time to prepare my thoughts and ensure the conversation flows. I have stage fright which makes me freeze, and all my thoughts leave me. I could not have a job where I had to speak continually in front of a large audience. I would need to take a toastmaster class and ensure that I had plenty of notes, rehearse in front of a mirror for a long time, and know the subject dead cold before I could do a seminar or a TED talk.
Writing, on the other hand, is easier for me. My thoughts are sharper, and I can defend the position no matter the question. That is one reason I write in blogs such as this one. By reporting, I can pull my thoughts together, explore several hypotheses, research, and find all resources: read, listen, watch, make notes, and write ideas. Write my paper, edit it, rewrite it, and finally have a finished article to show the world.
While writing this blog, I needed to research a particular subject that fascinates me: unsolved crime mysteries. I started researching and came across books on tape and podcasts, youtube segments, documentaries, TV shows, and movies that treat a particular subject so that you get many points of view. I mean, a vast pool of information on the internet that treats one topic, one story, one unsolved crime. Many points of view make you think, wonder, research more, discuss with your friends and get more leads. It is time-consuming to create but easier to reach a large audience with your message. So, another way to communicate with a large audience is a video or a podcast that will enable me to express my subject to many people simultaneously. This way, we merge writing and talking, making reaching large audiences easier.
I finally found a way to talk in front of an audience and write for many people. I will continue my blogs and create podcasts and videos to share my thoughts on a particular subject, including writing my short stories and my memoir “A chance encounter.”
We all have a preference in communicating with others, which one is yours??