Substance Over Fluff

I recently talked with a friend about an upcoming talk they had planned to do at a very important event. We talked through their hopes and fears leading up to the talk, and about what stylistic approach they should take. We also talked through questions about how much to share and how much to hold back.

Since they asked for my advice, and, since the talk revolved around them sharing about aspects of their lived experiences, my recommendation was that they be as authentic and honest as possible because in that honesty and vulnerability lies a pathway to connect with people in very significant ways; ways that may also assist the folks who are listening in feeling freer to be more authentic themselves.

I also showed them this video.

“What makes for a good house is not what gives it a striking appearance, but the solidity of the unseen foundation.”

My main takeaway was to elevate substance over fluff; to worry less about performing with a particular kind of style, and focus more on speaking from the heart. As the video clearly demonstrates, it’s easy to go through the motions in a performative way, while not saying a lot at all.

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones

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