Practical Genius by Gina Amaro Rudan, Kevin Carroll Page A

journey with you. If your story causes the imagination switch to turn on, you’re halfway home. Second, make your audience run the gamut of emotions with you. Plug them in to your power source. Finally, always tell a story that has resonance and meaning for the audience. It’s the ultimate leave-behind.
    What I really learned from my grandmother is both the value of an authentic genius story and how important it is to know how to tell it. This is a gift, to be sure, and she’s living proof of that. But there are a few simple ways we can tell our stories better.
Edit, Edit, Edit
    As I have learned from my writing experience, everything I want to say can be said better with less. It’s true. Less is always more. And so it goes for the story you want to tell. Don’t get bogged down in minutiae or blow-by-blows that distract from your message. Be concise, clear, and consistent. But don’t skimp on the details that make the story yours.
    For example, when I tell my elementary school story, one small detail that resonates every single time is this: “As any good Latina would do, my mother marched into the principal’s office the very next morning.” This detail is kind of funny but very easy to picture and makes a strong emotional connection with my audience. But just so you know, that sentencewas edited about a thousand times and ways before it was just what it needed to be. Play with every word of your story to make it tight and right.
    The fact that you edit and practice your story doesn’t make it less authentic or real. It just means you care enough about it to get it right, to be telling exactly the story you mean to tell. Being deliberate is genius; being random is not.
Listen Up
    Believe it or not, being a good listener is one of the most important qualities of being a good storyteller. Be an active listener, and the active listeners in your audience will respond in kind. Be thoughtful and generous about timing. It takes patience, consideration, tolerance, and discipline to move smoothly between listening and speaking. But the impact of your story will increase exponentially as you master the rhythms and the give-and-take of conversation.
    Listening is one of the most important skills you can have, and today, with the abundance and overflow of messages and communication, I think our ability to really listen to one another is in peril. How well you listen has a major impact on your practical genius at home, on the job, and also on the quality of your relationships with others.
RAMP UP YOUR LISTENING SKILLS
First, there’s the simple rule: Pay attention to whoever is speaking to you, period. Put down the BlackBerry, give them your undivided attention, and fully absorb and acknowledge the message. To give speakers confidence that they are being heard, look at them directly and avoid being distracted by anything. Anything!

Quality listening can be hampered by noise, which can be aural or visual. What’s going on outside the window on a nice day or a hot waitress walking by, for example, can be classified as noise. When you care about a conversation—and practical geniuses care about all of them—look for a quiet place to talk where you can invest yourself in the exchange.

Watch for nonverbal signals. Effective listening involves listening for nonverbal signals as well as verbal input. Crossed arms, a slumped posture, a smirk—all are nonverbal cues that should be part of what you “hear” when interacting with others.

To avoid making incorrect assumptions, you should paraphrase what you hear. Summarize what you’ve heard, and ask if you understand correctly. That’s “active listening” in a nutshell.

Watch your filters. Some stories can easily become misunderstood as a result of our filters, assumptions, and judgments, which is unfortunate but true. Be open and try to listen without judging the person. Don’t be afraid to ask questions at the end of the conversation; you want to make sure that the