Take the Time to Play the Right Note

Emmanuel Acho, a television sports analyst and host of Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, recently shared a story on social media of an interview he watched with Jamie Foxx. Jamie explained one time he was playing piano with Ray Charles when he hit the wrong key. Ray asked him why he did that and Jamie said he was just vibing. Ray's response was "All the keys are underneath your fingers. Take the TIME to play the RIGHT note".

Emmanuel's takeaway from this exchange was spot on-- people just rush through life. We need to take time to respond to each person properly. Take the time to use the exact right words. All the keys are beneath our fingers-- people just don't take the time to find the right ones.

I bring this up because it makes me think of business communication. How often have you had to rally people around a change in strategy, deliver complex information or handle a difficult conversation? And how much time did you actually put into planning the words you would use? If you're like me, probably not enough.

Take the time to frame your message, choose your words, figure out how to relate it to something else, something more understandable, and it will pay dividends. It's not a time suck. When you slow down to make sure others understand and remember your messages, you will actually gain speed and improve results. And who doesn't want that?