Last week I was in an online marketing training. One of the participants shared that she saw me peeing while on Zoom.
Ouch.
Of course I felt embarrassed about it. But that feeling passed pretty quickly, as there were only eight or nine participants on the call and I expect to never see them again.
As soon as I hang up, I realize that the session has been recorded. The recording will be available to all the previous, and current, and future participants in this program.
At least 230 participants so far and counting.
My anxiety peaks, as I realize that I am the only participant with her full name visible under her screen!
I am in a bind about what to do.
I can wait and hope I will be saved by some technological issues, like the recording failing. Then I don’t have to ask for help and reveal my embarrassment even more. But, it would leave me at the mercy of random events.
Or, I reach out to the virtual assistant, face more embarrassment as I share my blooper, and it can’t get fixed. But, I create the chance that it will.
I choose the second option. Even though it seems an unpleasant choice.
Pauline and Sinian, troopers as they are, laugh out loud and reassure me that the participants’ screens don’t even show up in the recording.
Making requests always involves sharing vulnerably and honestly what you’re feeling and needing. It always involves undressing emotionally, not knowing how the other will respond to your nakedness. You might get a better outfit, or you are laughed at.
But making requests is not a random thing, where you are dependent on the mood and goodwill of others. Successful requests follow a reliable pattern. There are simple steps to significantly increase the chance that you will get what you want. And the good thing is that you can do it in a way that feels like a gift to others!
In my online presentation “Effective Communication for Leaders in Nonprofits and Education”, you will:
- Hear the five biggest mistakes when asking for what you want
- Understand what Santa Claus has to do with requests
- Connect the dots between a bougainvillea and request
- Learn from the vegan who gets the best dish in the steakhouse
- Get 10 words to improve your requests
See you Tuesday, April 28, 8:00-9:00 am CST on Zoom. (Make sure your camera is off if you’re peeing.)