Transformational Pathways

Episode 21 - Build Authentic Connections By Going From 'Mego' to 'Wego' with Seth Greenwald

Episode Summary

Today's guest on the Transformational Pathways Podcast is Seth Greenwald, best-selling author, keynote speaker, and owner of the Creative Warrior Group, an organization that helps leaders climb to the peak of public speaking excellence. Seth takes us back to his official trade as engineer and shares how, as an introvert, he naturally liked being alone. But after decades of this, he realized he wanted to break out of his shell and Toastmasters helped him do it. He shares the wonders of communication and drives home that simply talking is not communication. Listening and building from there is what makes the back and forth of communication authentic. Seth also goes deeper and explains that the ego, which drives many of us, can be the blocker to connection. By switching it off and going from mego to wego, then effective collaboration can happen.

Episode Notes

HIGHLIGHTS

02:19 Seth's career: An engineer by trade, an artist and designer by heart

06:02 A natural introvert, Seth's desire to get out of his head led him to Toastmasters

11:08 Listening: At the core of being present and the other half of communication

14:15 Use both sides of your brain: Get comfortable saying "I don't know"

17:47 Building connection: Let go of ego and go from "mego" to "wego"

19:50 To be authentic, you have to know yourself 

22:35 Who is Sherpa Seth and the secrets of a Creative Warrior 

33:21 Seth's presentation to Toastmasters District 46

35:03 Mark Twain: It takes 3 weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech

36:53 Connect with Seth

QUOTES

08:25 "Toastmasters is to key to get out of your head. It's all about speaking in public, having confidence to speak in public. We're all about leaders who can speak, who can prepare a speech, who can speak on the cuff."

09:10 "To understand communication, you have to first listen and then speak. And that's what Toastmasters actually has taught me because, in terms of evaluation, evaluating someone's speech, you got to listen, you got to quiet the thoughts in your head in order to do that."

12:51 "That's what is communication is all about, A plus B equals C, right? Accept plus Build equals Collaboration and Communication."

18:30 "If you are run by the ego, you're never going to let others in. What I like to tell my students is that you have to go from 'mego' to 'wego.' It's called a Build It Together Mindset, a B.I.T. mindset. Go from me to we, and how do you do that? You let go of your ego."

Connect with Seth in the links below:

Find out more about Toastmasters, visit https://toastmasters46.org/ and follow District 46 on:

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