Small Business Tool Kit
Your success in life will be determined largely by your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas—specifically in that order. Your ability to be an effective communicator relies on all three. You can have the best ideas, but if you can’t communicate them, you will have a hard time getting buy-ins; You can also be very passionate when delivering a message, but if your ideas are not structured correctly, they can lose steam fast.
Speaking: The First Frontier of Success
Speaking comes first in the hierarchy because it is the most immediate form of communication. Whether in a meeting, an interview, or a casual conversation, your ability to articulate your thoughts and present ideas clearly and confidently directly impacts how others perceive you and, ultimately, how your ideas are received. A brilliant concept poorly communicated can be overlooked, while a simple idea, well-expressed, can spark action or inspire change.
Think of public figures, leaders, and influencers throughout history—the ones who could stand before an audience and command attention often rose to prominence not just because of the strength of their ideas but because of how they delivered them.
Writing: The Lasting Impression
While speaking dominates in the moment, writing leaves a lasting impact. It’s the medium that allows ideas to transcend time and place. When you write clearly and persuasively, your ideas gain permanence and can reach a broader audience. Good writing has the power to inform, convince, and motivate. Whether through reports, emails, or social media posts, your ability to write affects how others engage with your work.
A well-written proposal can open doors, while a poorly written one can shut them. In the professional world, the quality of your writing often serves as a reflection of your thinking and professionalism. It’s not just about grammar or sentence structure—it’s about how well you can package your knowledge, thoughts, and ideas into something that others can understand, use, and appreciate.
The Quality of Ideas: The Foundation
Finally, the quality of your ideas underpins both speaking and writing. No matter how skilled you are at communicating, if the content is shallow, it won’t get you far. That’s why our philosophy places an emphasis on the balance of knowledge and practice over talent. The better your ideas, the more powerful your communication becomes. However, CDM stresses that the ability to convey those ideas effectively often matters more than the ideas themselves. You can be sitting on a goldmine of insights, but if you can't share them convincingly, they're worthless.
The Formula for Success: Knowledge, Practice, and Talent
The formula for success in communication breaks down into three components: knowledge ("K"), practice ("P"), and talent ("T"). Importantly, minimal is the role of talent; while some people are naturally gifted communicators, it is knowledge and practice that truly make the difference. Talent may give someone a head start, but those who acquire deep knowledge and put in the hours to refine their communication skills will ultimately excel.
This perspective is liberating because it suggests that anyone can become an effective communicator with the right dedication. You don’t need to be born with a silver tongue or a novelist’s flair for words—you need to learn, practice, and improve. Over time, your ability to speak and write well can elevate even simple ideas into powerful messages that resonate with others.
Application to the Cannabis Industry (or Any Field)
Take this philosophy and apply it to any industry—let’s say cannabis, where knowledge of products, market trends, and regulations is crucial. Imagine two analysts: one with an innate ability to crunch numbers and create reports, and another with a deep knowledge of cannabis products and a track record of hands-on experience. The latter, through practice, learns to communicate this product knowledge effectively in presentations and reports. They know how to speak to industry insiders, explaining why one strain outperforms another or why market trends are shifting. Their ideas carry weight because they know their subject inside and out, and they’ve practiced communicating it effectively.
The first analyst, talented at building reports, may fall short because they don’t fully understand the industry or its nuances. While they may present data well, they can’t connect the dots or explain the implications with the same depth. Over time, the second analyst, who has the knowledge and has worked to hone their speaking and writing skills, will have the edge. It’s not their natural talent that got them ahead—it’s the knowledge and practice they applied to their communication.
Conclusion
This philosophy on communication, based on MIT’s late Professor Patrick Winston’s lecture, reminds us that while talent can open doors, it’s knowledge and practice that keep them open. Your ability to communicate—through speaking and writing—will determine how far your ideas go and how successful you become. It’s about what you know, how well you know it, and how effectively you can share that knowledge with others. Whether you’re in the cannabis industry or any other field, the principles remain the same: practice your communication, invest in knowledge, and let talent play its small role.