FOCUS GROUPS BOOK

world does because I was too scared to ask. Going forward I see the great strength in asking the
tough personal ques*ons, and sharing life stories with others to be able to create a community
in the focus groups, and ul*mately future juries.
Every person that comes to us in our groups gives us the gi> of their story, so I’ve learned to
take the *me to discover it, before just jumping right in.
3. Slowing Down and CreaCng Silence:
This I accept as a personal problem, but one I think I share with many in the public speaking
arena. Nerves take over, and you end up speaking more quickly than you normally would.
Papa Don has true fear in his eyes when I get near the controls to a PowerPoint or Timeline
presenta*on, due to the sheer speed I try to rip through things. Even when I have consciously
thought about being slow and deliberate with speech, I go back to watch focus group videos
and want to tell my former self to just breath and slow down.
If you have ever seen and heard Papa Don speak, you have witnessed someone who is
completely s*ll, though^ul and deliberate in his speech. You never have to think to yourself,
“wait, what did he say?” His cadence counts, and he leaves valuable pauses when the audience
needs to reflect, and his body language is calm, never taking away from his message.
The only true way to learn to slow down is prac*ce. Very deliberate prac*ce. Ways I am
aHemp*ng to train myself are: 1. sieng in silence; 2. medita*ng; and 3. reading book passages
aloud, so slowly I think it is ridiculous. This is an evolving lesson, but I know that for an audience
to truly hear and feel what I am saying, it’s a lesson that has to s*ck.
Three GiOs I Have Been Given: