I was on Zoom with half a dozen other people. One person talked for a while about something he knew about that the rest of us didn’t. People listened, asked questions as he went, and the whole exchange was positive and fruitful.
“Thank you for educating us,” someone said when the conversation wound down. It was genuine; we all felt it.
“I feel like I just rambled.”
Which got me to thinking how often people feel like they’re just talking and no one is interested, when really, they have something to contribute and the people they’re with are engaged.
Talking at length isn’t inherently rambling.
Rambling isn’t inherently uninteresting.
Where do we get that judgement from?
Maybe from school, where we’re supposed to be prepared, orderly, and often succinct.
Maybe from parents who don’t have patience for the truly rambling stories of young children.
Maybe from a general disbelief that we’re interesting people, or that anyone would be interested in us.
Mirroring this, I’ve found in talking to people about potentially being guests on my podcast that a lot of people don’t believe themselves to be interesting.
Your life feels plain because it’s yours. It’s what you experience every day.
The first interaction I had with a voice over actor, I was so smitten with her work and just like WOW because I had no experience with voice over work. I listened to her demo reel and her fake commercials sounded like commercials!
Of course they did. That’s her job.
She thought it was weird that I was so excited about it. Her circle was full of actors, and it was just what they did.
Another set of scenarios that I’ve mentioned before: when I talk to runners, they’re impressed that I can play all the instruments in a concert band, and when I talk to band teachers, they’re impressed that I run. (Of course, I’m not the only overlap in those two circles, but most of the time when it’s come up, I’m the only one in the room.)
For me, neither is especially noteworthy, except that they’re part of my skill set and interest set and how I spend my time. Both have been noteworthy to other people many times.
Friends, find the people who are interested, and ramble on! Just because you’re used to your life and your thoughts and ideas doesn’t mean everyone is.