The Art of Making Sh!t Up

Chapter 9Yes and, Maybe, No

If you want to make shit up for a living in this world, you need to understand a few things about how people communicate with each other. Words have meaning, yes. They also have a great power and influence. The words we choose have immense impact on how we create.

Verbal communication is the number‐one way to exchange information and ideas with other people on a day‐to‐day basis. What we say and how we say it completely determines whether or not we can successfully get our ideas into action. You can be the most brilliant person in the world, but if you can never communicate your ideas, there is really nothing we can do with them.

Communication is the secret sauce of success. Think of it this way: All things being close to equal, would you prefer having a doctor who is a poor communicator or a doctor who is a great communicator? That same concept applies in any job. Who wins, the coder or the coder who is a great communicator? The teacher or the teacher who is a great communicator? The mechanic or the mechanic who is a great communicator? And so on and so on.

There is almost never a time when, given the opportunity to choose, someone would ever say, “Given the choice, I'll take the poor communicator.” Just doesn't happen. Effective communication completely changes the game in terms of how people view you both personally and professionally. The better communicator you become, the better your personal and professional relationships will be.

When we improvise ...