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Why Listen To A Speaker?

“Serve, give, do, help your parents and family, organization, teammates, clients,

friends, and others.”– Raj Gavurla

Last week I attended an event where people spoke about their solution for a better living and better future.  Afterwards, we took a break and as I networked with people I asked a few people what were the main points of a specific speaker.  None of them could tell me.  Therefore, it prompted me to write my post on why, how, and what to do when listening to a speaker.

Why?

When listening to a speaker, know why you are listening and discover why the speaker is saying what they say.

How?

Listen to how the speaker acknowledges, honors, what are the main points, examples, and stories.

What To Do?

What does the speaker do to connect with the audience.  When a speaker connects that means the audience uses emotional intelligence to take this experiential learning and apply it to benefit their situation and benefit extension by telling someone about the speaker and event. Throughout your life you will be able to recall specifics about the speaker and message (it moved you, an example, phrases, sound bites, stories, or statistics) you’ll use at the right time (often and sometimes for decades) to help you succeed in what you are doing.

I recall speakers and their message, examples, phrases, sound bites, stories, or statistics throughout my life.  It has a cumulative effect and I recall it when needed at the perfect time.  The is the real value of listening to a speaker.

When you have this frame of mind each time you hear someone speak you receive an experiential learning credit.

If their is an internal or external conflict you are experiencing when listening to a speaker, here is my advanced performance and life conflict resolution and idea generation tool.  Speaking is the highest form of experiential learning from a person.

I look forward to hearing about the greater value you are receiving from attending events with a speaker.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old but

on building the new.” – Dan Millman

For programs and services, contact Raj Gavurla at 864.569.2315, raj@rajgavurla.com.

Learn The Habits of Win Forward Performance

“Learn the habits of win forward performance.” – Raj Gavurla

I was featured on this tennis blog talk radio show as a substitute for Allen Fox.  It’s for tennis players, coaches, fans, and enthusiasts, Coach Danise’s Blog Talk Radio program is forward performing. I’m glad to create and share my expertise inspiring dialogue with Coach Danise.

For those who want to contact me for Performance Coaching & Consulting or for me to deliver a Keynote & Workshop visit: http://www.rajgavurla.com/privatementalperformance.html

For those who want to buy my workbook, Your Raise The Bar Primer: Mental Performance Tools mentioned in the radio program for all levels of play visit: http://rajgavurla.com/tennisworkbooksandprograms.html

Click Here To Learn From The Radio Program:  

Learn The Habits of Win Forward Performance

tennis radio

Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. – Unknown

For programs and services, contact Raj at 864.569.2315, raj@rajgavurla.com

Value and Benefits of Non-Violence

“Live your great dreams they become greater.” – Raj Gavurla

When I heard the name Mahatma Gandhi, I did not realize his importance globally.  Non-violence resonated with me. Think of the opposite.  What’s the need?

Before attending a talk on non-violence, I thought of the violence I have seen.  My first discussion of violence was in fourth grade.  My friends and I were discussing how to defend ourselves.  My Bruce Lee impersonation with sound effects sent a friend frighteningly into the supplies closet.  Two guys fighting in the school cafeteria in sixth grade was my first encounter with violence.  One threw chairs and the place cleared out with students in shock and not knowing how to respond.  We couldn’t believe what was happening.

The next occurrence of violence occurred on a Sunday driving through downtown as a sixteen year old.  As I slowly drove by, two men were fighting.  A car stopped ahead of me and a mountain of a man stepped out in a three piece suit.  He single handedly separated the two.  They didn’t have a chance!

In history class my high school teacher assigned us a term paper.  My paper was on the book, The Life of Mahatma Gandhi.  A fascinating read by Louis Fischer and years later in 1982 the movie Gandhi played in theaters.  The most vivid scenes for me was a reporter on the phone relaying the story of how Gandhi was leading a non-violence movement in South Africa and then India.

Violence didn’t occur again until I visited Hollywood on a tour bus parked adjacent to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre for tourists to shop for souvenirs.  People screamed and began to gather, therefore, I rushed across the street because I’ve heard of people passing out from seeing a star.  Brad Pitt, then they faint.

A car pulled up and three guys attacked another.  A mob ensued.  They were beating him and he fell to the ground. They continued to kick him! The girls with the guys tried to stop the violence.  As the girls were being pushed aside, losing footing, and clothing, me and a guy running from the other side of the street were about to step in to help the girls.  I’m not sure what I would have done.  In hindsight, I think the best I could have done was to yell at the top of my voice. Fortunately, we heard a police siren and the guys doing the beating ran off.

As a motivational and inspirational speaker and author, I’ve been on the platform in front of diverse groups: Business and community groups, athletes, detainees in the mental health quad at the Greenville Detention Center, facilitate a mental health support group, and train police officers.  Many of them have experienced violence either perpetrated by another or themselves.

I emphasize the following:

1.  Non-violence towards yourself

2.  Non-violence towards another

To have a deeper appreciation of non-violence the thought provoking talk I attended was part of an event at the Vedic Center of Greenville in Ahimsa Hall by Shrimiti Kamalaji (Gandhi Foundation).  Ahimsa means non-violence.

nonviolence vcg

My question to her: With the increase in non-military violence how do we create a non-violence movement in our community and society in order to consistently enable individuals’ dreams, aspirations, and hope successfully?

1.  Non-violence isn’t to be legislated

2.  Use self-discipline, aspirations, and passion for inner-peace

As I reflected on her answer, I think of the courage of Malala Yousafzai, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNhZu3ttIU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOqIotJrFVM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrWttENgWNE) and of using books, pens, teachers, and education as a weapon and the non-violence movement in Hong Kong for democracy.

The words of Gandhi still reverberate:

“It has always been a mystery to me how men can feel themselves honoured by the humiliation of their fellow beings.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Think about what non-violence would look like in your community.

1.  The evening news wouldn’t open with someone being shot, a school shooting, or a story on bullying.

Deeper

2.  Doctor’s offices and hospitals serve sick people not cases of domestic violence

Deeper

3.  There’s no suicide.

Deeper

What fills the void?

Consistently enable individuals’ dreams successfully. Without enabling great dreams there is apathy and violence as means for survival.  Be determined to help, assist, and support someone you know and don’t know with earning and achieving great dreams because by doing so we find better ways and create new jobs (an occupation that didn’t exist) and better jobs (ones with career progression) to generate economic growth, peace, and raise the standard of living locally, nationally, and throughout the world.

Before we are capable of doing so, we need non-violence to produce economic growth and peace. What can you be involved with or do to create a non-violence movement in your community?

List three ways non-violence brings economic growth:

  1. ____________________________________________________________________
  2. ____________________________________________________________________
  3. ____________________________________________________________________

List three ways for you to benefit from non-violence:

  1. ____________________________________________________________________
  2. ____________________________________________________________________
  3. ____________________________________________________________________

By having a conversation with a group or a person about the items you listed you have an opportunity to enrich and expand or create a non-violence movement in your community.  We will have a better future by creating a non-violence movement in communities throughout the nation and world.  Enable great dreams – they become greater.