Do You Have a Right to Speak?

My uncle thinks that the government and local police are hiding behind every bush ready to jump out and latch the handcuffs of authority on any person they please

One of my best friends believes that if you don’t find a real job with real responsibilities then you will never make a name for yourself in the world

My father believes that the key to life can be found while nearly capsizing a boat while going over six knots

Everyone has a voice, an opinion, an idea, a dream, but what gives one person the right to speak over another?

Im not talking about the, “I know best because I’ m wiser, older, and smarter than you young whippersnapper” type of speaking, but rather the idea of voicing your ideas openly to the people who you can easily influence

Your friends, family, children, coworkers, all the types of people that have to listen to you and listen to your two cents worth even if your anecdotes are the equivalent of a Chris Farley movie

These people have to listen to what you have to say, even if they are really thinking about what is on TV that night when they are talking to you

Potentially horrible conversational skills aside, what gives you the right to speak about a subject?

Are you an expert?

Do you know more than they do?

Are you the vocal minority?

Do you care if you know more than the guy next to you?

Even the 52 year old virgin who can be found in his parents basement partaking in a World of Warcraft raid has a strong voice for certain things (even if they are virtual)

The point is that everybody is an expert in a one or many areas (hell I know I overly tote myself in a number of fields) but very few people can actually deliver the knowledge they have to another person

Having the right skill set to deliver the ideas and knowledge you have is just as important as knowing anything more than what 2 + 2 =

Instead of worrying about understanding more than the guy down the hall, or trying to impress your friends and family with your new found knowledge of cell phone wizardry, spend some time learning how to effectively communicate all the knowledge you have bottled up inside you

This can be done a multitude of ways

You can read a book, take a seminar, subscribe to a blog, find a mentor, or even make a commitment to do some public speaking and pick it up as you go along

The more you know about your area of expertise but the less you learn about how to effectively communicate it, the more retarded you seem to others

Don’t fall into the trap of knowing everything in the world but when you talk to people they tell you they fantasize about take a roll of duck tape to your mouth

This can also be true for critiques (yours and others) on any given day

Do you have a right to talk about them behind their back?

Do they have a right to talk about you?

Before you trek off to write you next expertly laced article or speak at a meeting of big heads, make sure you can hold your own when you talk to your mother or your best friend

Only after you can thoroughly engage your friend about your knowledge of how to properly eat a slice of pizza can you be ready to explain why the Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has nothing to do with a motorcycle

Talk hard

Gabriel