Serenity Through Sweat

Shut Up Legs

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. Albeit a little later with all of the craziness that is 2020, this is one of my favorite stretches of the year, Le Tour. Hundreds of riders hammering the pedals across miles of the world’s most spectacular countryside is awe inspiring and motivating in a way that is hard to compare.

One of the color commentators on the broadcast, a former pro cyclist Jen’s Voigt, is famous in the cycling community for his remark Shut Up Legs! It is his brand, the title of his book and the name of his company and website. It is also something that all cyclists at some point or another can relate to.

Music man on our visit to Grammy’s house

SerenityThroughSweat for me has always been about finding peace, in large part through exercise. I think the ability to feel discomfort and then push through it. To realize the discomfort is only temporary and it is superceded by whatever the goal is, is a gift given to us by exercise. It is also what Jens so eloquently states in much fewer words when he says, shut up legs.

Anyone who has found themselves in the saddle, legs burning, and contemplating quitting knows the internal struggle that goes on. There are always an endless number of good reasons why calling it a day is a justifiable decision. Miles already ridden, lack of proper sleep/nutrition/hydration, inclement weather, other obligations at home. Honest self assessment, especially in times of discomfort, is a true virtue.

Getting ready for our upcoming mountain adventure

I try to think about it like Tyler durden would. “These are your burning legs, don’t go to your cave and find your power animal, what you are feeling is premature enlightenment.” Recognize the source of your discomfort, stay with it, not blaming it or hiding from it, and then say shut up legs.

The uncertainty I (and much of my aviation family) face is no different. Our metaphorical legs are burning with the threat of furlough and a long arduous climb of industry recovery looms on the horizon. We can unclip our pedals and call it a day, or we can say shut up legs, and take on the long hard climb ahead.

It doesn’t make the climb ahead any less daunting, or the burning feelings of uncertainty any less scary, but facing it head on saying Shut up legs! and progressing forward is the only sure path I can see for my family.

I hope that all of my brothers and sisters in the industry, as well as anyone else who is facing Covid related job loss, will join me in saying Shut Up Legs, and hammering forward in a way that would put the peloton to shame.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends. (And Vive Le Tour)

Under Pressure

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. I’m sitting post run in my hotel room in Asheville on what could be my last layover in a while, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you.

I was drifting in and out of attention on the van ride to the hotel last night. I was on my phone trying to plan out my running route, when I caught the tail end of that familiar Queen and Bowie bass beet over the van radio. The words washed over me knowing this could be me last trip, and expecting a furlough notice any day, “this is our last dance, this is ourselves under pressure”

First off, I love my job, I’m grateful to be here, and I’m even more grateful that I knew this could be my last dance. Back in March, I got in an argument with the captain I flew with right at the end of the last rotation I would fly before lockdown. I didn’t know at the time that I would be out of the cockpit for an uncertain length of time, but I probably could have been a better version of myself if I had known.

Going in to this trip knowing that there is a good chance I don’t fly next month, and a good chance I get furloughed in October (I received my furlough notice along with 1940 other pilots a few minutes ago) I was primed to appreciate all of it (good and bad) with that knowledge ahead of time.

The way I feel hurtling towards the October 1st furlough date

It’s hard to see past the built in endings in anything. I remember crying while hugging my coach and my mother after my last wrestling match, not so much because I was sad, but because there is an emptiness left in the wake of mission completion. I remember the same emotions, crying alone in my hotel room after I finished Ironman FL.

I went on to coach wrestling and started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I continue training for and competing in triathlons, so they weren’t true endings, more like page breaks. But, there is still an emptiness especially in the immediate aftermath that is, I believe, unavoidable.

I’m fighting those same emotions and fighting back tears writing this now. I know (or strongly believe anyhow) that as a relatively young man this is not an ending, but just a page break in my career. Objectively, I understand this, but it provides little comfort to my short term feelings of emptiness.

If you’ve followed the blog for any length of time (thank you), I’ve been a preacher (for lack off a better term) of strengthening mental, physical, and emotional well-being, as a way to be better prepared no matter what situations you encounter. I feel blessed that my biggest concern is how much I will miss flying and how it has become a part of me, rather than my ability through flying to fulfill more base needs for my family (ie food on the table, and a roof over head)

Meal prep on the Z Grills pellet grill. Smoked turkey, brussel sprouts, asparagus, sweet potatoes, and beer bread

My family and I will be fine. In the grand scheme of things this will be a story we tell years from now in cockpits and at dinner parties. But in the short term, where page breaks seem like cliffs, emotions can run high, molehills can be turned into mountains.

Whatever may come over the next few months or years, I hope that I have prepared myself and my family to the best of my ability, for the challenges ahead. I hope that new passion and warmth fills in the emptiness that these events leave in their wake. I hope I am able to have the same appreciation throughout my career, as I have for this potential last(for a while anyway) flight. I hope that I can enjoy what may be my last dance, and that my family and I can live well, under pressure.

Morning miles along the French broad river in Asheville

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

How Far We’ve Come

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. I’m sitting post run in Greenville, SC where I wrote the first edition of the blog back in mid November, and thinking of how far we’ve come.

I have an eclectic taste in music, especially for different types of workouts. There is a special dopamine rush when that perfect 90’s alt rock song comes on unexpectedly in a workout. Energy seems to materialize from the ether, and I can go from boarding the struggle bus, back to a spring in my step. Matchbox twenty’s how far we’ve come has always been one of those songs for me.

Sleepy sloth hugs art project from El Duderino

A drum solo start, a punchy guitar line, up tempo beats, Rob Thomas talking about the end of days, it’s got everything I need to sprint out the last few miles home. The lyrics seem deceptively appropriate for where we find ourselves six months into a pandemic and an election year.

“I’m waking up at the start of the end of the world, but it’s feeling just like every other morning before,” “I believe the world is burning to the ground, oh well I guess we’re gonna find out, let’s see how far we’ve come”

El Duderino taking the wheel on the walk with Speedy, while mommy gets in some bike miles

On their own and out of context, the lyrics make it sound like a sad song, one of desperation and defeat. It never struck me that way listening to it, and the music video (I don’t know if those are still a thing anymore, but they were in the 90’s and the 00’s) paints a different picture. It shows scenes of human triumph and progress like the moon landing, Muhammad Ali winning the world heavy weight title, and the Berlin Wall coming down.

There is no denying the pain and suffering that has occurred in the last six months, but look how far we’ve come. Public health and well being is now a priority on a level I’ve certainly never seen before in this country. As a nation we are having productive discussions on race, justice, and policing that are well overdue.

First time cooking in the new Z grills pellet grill. Smoked picanaha and veggies were awesome

On a personal level, I started this blog ten months ago to talk about fitness and parenting. It was as much of a personal indulgence (writing about my own endeavors) as it was a meaningful platform with a message I hope to share with my boys. I can look back over that short time and see how far I’ve come, as a parent, an athlete, and a writer.

I’ve become focused at a level I haven’t been since I was writing my thesis, not just on producing content, but also consuming it. The amount I read, fiction and non fiction, and listen to podcasts has increased tremendously. My intake of instructional posts, blogs, and videos for grappling, fitness, nutrition, and mobility has skyrocketed. Speedy, being born early on in all of this craziness, was a blessing helping me to take stock of things that really matter in my life. It also forced me to evaluate and evolve my parenting with two boys at home with no daycare.

First time on the bike since father’s day. New shoes, new cleats, and a whole lot of dropping the hammer on the last 5 miles

I’ve written before about Serenity as a journey or a series of fleeting moments, more so than a destination. I’m grateful for these post run moments of clarity where even though I’m not there yet, and I may never get there, I can reflect on how far we’ve come.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Layover miles on the swamp rabbit trail is Greenville

Adaptation

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the serenity through sweat blog. My wife and I are wrapping up our first weekend with El Duderino out of town and just Speedy in the house. I’m struck by the difference two years has made in our parenting and our personalities.

As a new father, even with a significant break from work, I struggled to find a rhythm. I was unsure of myself and the needs of my wife and new baby. I was behind the curve when it came to meeting those needs much less anticipating and proactively fulfilling them.

Two years later, with El Duderino visiting his grandparents for the weekend, was the first time for me to really compare apples to apples as it were. How would my wife and I handle our now 4 month old having already been through it once?

The difference was staggering. We were both amazed at the efficiency at which we could care for Speedy and complete tasks around the house. We were both able to anticipate each other’s as well as Speedy’s needs, and then fulfill them quickly, efficiently, and with a a general sense of normalcy.

Things that would have left us frustrated and exhausted two years ago, seemed like commonplace daily routine, and even a reprieve, when compared to the demands of two children. The repetitive tasks that are required to care for a child led to a change in both my wife and I. The difference is the beauty of human adaptation.

As is often the case taxonomy is important and adaptation (in a biological sense) is an organisms ability to change to become better suited to it’s environment.

My wife and I are not the same people we were two and a half years ago when El Duderino was born. In addition to a familiarity and gained confidence as parents, we adapted to be better suited to our new lives as parents.

Raising children clearly involves a lot repetitive tasks. With repetition comes habit formation, and with habit formation comes adaptation. A good training plan will force you to do the same thing. Your body will adapt to the stresses (running, biking, lifting heavy things, grappling) you put it through if it senses that they are an environmental factor, and not just a singular event. Repetitive stresses will lead to adaptation, and a better suited person for the whatever challenge lies ahead.

We are starting to see this now with COVID as well. There have been repetitive stresses on businesses, services, and events. Some of those organizations have maintained their routine in a “tough it out” approach, and some have adapted. Like a fun uncle who watches the kids now and again, they can get the job done when they need to, but their efficiency and effectiveness will be lacking. The parents who change to better fit their new roles, will ultimately do a better job and be more efficient and effective. It doesn’t take long to see which organizations are adapting, and which are struggling to tough it out.

This run was a special treat. Some early morning miles over the causeway in my old stomping grounds. A lot of sweat, tears, and memories in the pavement here.

Humans have adapted to survive and thrive in every environment they have come across. It requires some trial and error, some repetitive stress, and a whole lot of serenity, but the results are pretty incredible.

When you can’t change your situation, you change yourself. That’s what adaptation is. It’s just a fun coincidence that parenting, fitness, getting through COVID, and finding serenity all require adaptation too.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Reality

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. As I was laying down some Sunday morning miles on my layover in Appleton Wisconsin, I saw the mural (above) and it reminded me of one of my favorite quotes. “If you see entrapment you will be stuck, If you see redemption you will be saved, reality is largely dependent on what you are willing to see it as”

Attending Catholic school from K-12 I had always found comfort and guidance in religion. (There were some unanswered questions but that is a topic for another time). A teacher, deacon, priest, or coach who could take a biblical idea and reach across generational boundaries to leave an impression on young men is no small task. My high school wrestling coach used to say God, Family, Country, and Wrestling. The majority of my world view was shaped in this manner.

Speedy and El Duderino hanging out on the back porch, and El Duderino in the no cavity club.

There are plenty of bible stories about positive thinking, and I had no shortage of opportunities to learn and grow from shortcomings in my athletic pursuits, but somehow the message never transcended into a global world view until I found that quote. I stumbled upon it very unceremoniously in the horoscope section of my AOL sign on page one day, (back when AOL Instant messenger was still a thing). I’m not a horoscope person, and I don’t know why I chose to read it that day, but I’m glad that I did, since it has stuck with all these years.

I think this is the message that we need as a nation right now. There is undeniably an abundance of suffering and misfortune with everything COVID-19 related and the myriad of social justice issues that we face together. The best path forward is to focus on redemption, not entrapment, and reality is a whole lot brighter through that lens.

Together we will need to find new ways to make the things we need, and to provide the services we have come to value, in a safe, healthy, and efficient manner. Looking at the redemption side of our post Covid reality, it is bursting with opportunity for growth, innovation, and a chance to reprioritize social values we deem important.

I’ve talked in prior posts about reprioritization, the quote is not so much about the details, (which are important) but rather about the overall outlook. Being willing to look forward and see a path to redemption is not an easy task. It requires constant focus and often times we will need to self correct our course.

Reality, much like serenity, is a living and changing entity. The way we view it, define it, and ultimately strive for it, is dependent on what we are willing to see it as.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Sunday morning vibes, putting in miles on my layover.

Perfect World

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. I’m finishing up A Column of Fire, the third book in the Kingsbridge series by Ken Follet, and a piece of fatherly advice stood out to me that I wanted to share and discuss.

Follet does a masterful job in all of his books of making historically significant events come to life through the interwoven and tangled lives of his fictitious characters. The Kingsbridge series follows multiple generations of different families across southern England and uses the historical pretext to comment on present problems.

A Column of Fire takes place in the late 16th century discussing the major historical events of western Europe at that time. The overwhelming theme of the book is the back and forth between religious zeal and tolerance.

The book’s central protagonist Ned Willard, is separated from his teenage sweetheart Margery due to religious differences and family politics. Margery is a staunch Catholic and Ned is a tolerant Protestant employed in the service of Queen Elizabeth. He later has a child with Margery and is unable to acknowledge the child because Margery is married to the Earl.

Early morning beach run and sunrise from my last trip to the FL panhandle

It is Ned’s fatherly advice to his biological son, (who regards him only as a family friend) that struck me as especially appropriate to our current societal needs.

Ned’s son Roger is asking him about Queen Elizabeth’s religious tolerance. Why does she hate Catholics? (an issue which he is particularly sensitive too being raised by his staunch Catholic mother). Ned tries explaining the intricacies of international politics to his inquisitive 10 year old who comes back with rebuttals far too advanced for his age. Ned ultimately ends the conversation in defense of Queen Elizabeth, and his own actions, saying “There are no saints in politics, but imperfect people can make the world a better place“

Trying to make the world a better place is all that can be asked of any of us. There are no perfect people and there are no perfect places. Everyone and everywhere has problems, but that imperfection need not be damning. Especially as people, and places, grow and evolve, their past imperfections do not represent the whole of their being or their current intentions.

I hope that I am able to embody that message for my sons. To pass it on not only in words but in actions. I hope to set the example of an imperfect man trying to make the world a better place for them, so that they may go out in the world one day and do the same.

To quote Remember the Titans, “Now, I ain’t saying that I’m perfect, ’cause I’m not. And I ain’t gonna never be. None of us are. But we have won every single game we have played till now. So this team is perfect. We stepped out on that field that way tonight. And, uh, if it’s all the same to you, Coach Boone, that’s how we want to leave it.”

I’m not a perfect father, (or a perfect anything for that matter), but if I can pass that lesson on to my boys, I will be happy to step off the metaphorical field that way.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Long run with exclusively nasal breathing in Wichita

Knowledge and Worth

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. I get a lot of time on layovers to catch up on my podcasts, and a quote from a recent JRE episode stood out to me. It seemed extremely relevant to the message of this blog as well as a situation many of us will find ourselves in over the coming months.

I believe it was James Lindsay in JRE episode #1501 (but I could be wrong sometimes episodes blend together in my mind) who said “your knowledge is only worth what you can build with it”

El Duderino playing in the waves with friends

My first instinct was the parallel between the rising cost of college and a large number of liberal arts degrees that are given out at significant cost, while the owners of those degrees struggle to find meaningful employment.

The question becomes what was the cost of those degrees, what was the cost of the knowledge gained, and what is each worth? I have separated those ideas on purpose because there is a distinction.

Bike path stroll with Speedy and El Duderino

The degree cost can be almost entirely accounted for monetarily. How much money was spent between classes, room and board, book, etc… The worth of that degree is difficult to measure but I would say it’s value is what you are able to do with it that you would be unable to do without. Some jobs require a 4 year degree, some offer significant pay raises for a 4 year degree. You can then make your own decision on whether or not the degree was “worth” it.

Knowledge on the other hand doesn’t really cost anything (or at least significantly less in monetary terms. There are countless resources for free classes from top universities, free books, lectures, and presentations on a never ending array of subject matter. The cost is your time, effort, and energy. (And money if you are going the university route)

The worth of that knowledge, as the quote so eloquently put, is worth what you can build with it. This sounds to me like a fancy way of saying you get out what you put in. Just because you have the knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean you have the skill, ability, and determination to apply it. That doesn’t make the knowledge worthless, but it does significantly change its valuation.

As an athlete and a martial artist, it is very easy to get to the truth of this concept. Just because you know a technique doesn’t mean you can successfully use it. That knowledge is is not worthless, but it’s worth is increased by practice and application. Just because I watch the UFC and I can identify techniques and strategies (knowledge), doesn’t mean I can jump in the cage and compete. (Worth)

Changing gears, Covid-19 had already ravaged large portions of the economy and will continue to do so. Certain sectors, anything requiring physical contact or large public gatherings, have been hit particularly hard. People in those sectors (myself included) will likely be forced to pivot at least temporarily to other forms of employment. When we do, what will be able to build with the knowledge we have accrued?

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

This week in SerenityThroughSweat, barefoot beach miles in the panhandle, both boys enjoy the bike path and the beach, and catching up with college buddies on a layover.

Master caution/master warning

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. My wife showed me the meme above before bed the other day, and it got me thinking about how we are trained to respond to problems in the workplace, and how we respond to them when it comes to parenting and our health/well-being.

One of the most basic tools in the cockpit for identifying a problem is the master caution/master warning lights and the EICAS (engine indicating and crew alerting system). These systems, working together with a myriad of sensors, alert the crew through a variety of lights, chimes, bells, and messages, that there is an abnormal situation or problem.

Some of these alerts are rather benign, for example if the seatbelt sign is on or off. Some, understandably demand your attention, like a fire warning, which comes with a bell, a voice, and multiple flashing red lights.

The nature of flying people hundreds of miles in a metal tube requires that decision making, especially for abnormal situations, be preemptively briefed. The most rigorous of these briefings is the takeoff briefing.

The takeoff roll is segmented into three phases based on how critical the decision to abort is. The low speed regime, (below 80 knots) the high speed regime, (above 80kts to V1, which is the decision speed) and anything above V1. Without getting into the weeds too far, V1 is the speed at which it is safer to fly than it is to try and stop the aircraft on the ground. V1 changes for every flight based on a number of factors, (weight, weather, runway, etc..)

The list of reasons we might abort a takeoff below 80kts is pretty lengthy. The energy state of the aircraft is not in a precarious position and it is better to solve a problem on the ground rather than in the air. However, as we approach V1, the list becomes rather small, because the consequences of a high speed abort must outweigh the consequences of fixing the problem airborne.

Shifting gears back to parenting, what are your “abort criteria” and how do they change with the situation? What behaviors from your children draw a pause and an explanation versus some form of natural consequence? Does your response change based on what you are engaged in at the time of the behavior?

I’m much more likely to let things slide with my son when I am working in the kitchen. Since my style of cooking often resembles a self inflicted version of Chopped, I tend to get very task saturated, and thus more lax on El Duderino’s behavior. Regardless of where my kitchen V1 may be, if he starts having an accident, I’m dropping my utensils and running over to get him on the potty before the mess reaches it’s apex.

If El Duderino is misbehaving while his brother Speedy is napping, he gets a little bit of a longer leash. Whereas if both of them are awake and needing attention, the criteria of acceptable behavior shrinks like entering the high speed regime.

The same mentally applies to my internal dialogue and physiological cues while training. If I have had a long week of productive training, the list of things I’m willing to tone it down for grows. If I have been slacking or falling behind in my training load due to work or family responsibilities, it is a pretty short list that will keep me from a good sweat session.

Out aircraft master caution/matter warning systems are designed to be inhibited during certain criteria (high-speed vs low-speed), and we are taught this and we brief this. The same ideas apply to the way we talk to our children and the way we talk to ourselves. Sometimes you need to heed the master caution, and sometime you need to inhibit it.

The decision on how to react to a master caution/ master warning is a delicate balance and one that requires attention and precision, much like the path to serenity.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Redefine Resilience

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. With all of the upheaval in the economy and especially the aviation industry I’m constantly looking for information to help chart the best course forward. I found this quote from Delta CEO Ed Bastian on a CNN business interview lined up well with the overall message of the blog and wanted to discuss it.

“This will be the crisis that will define Delta. We have a real opportunity to get through this crisis as a more resilient airline, I think resiliency is going to be something that is redefined across corporate America and our society – resiliency, both financially and with our health, as well as stability of our business practices and business models.”

There is a lot going on in that quote to unpack; resilience, opportunity, financials, health. I’m less concerned with business practices and models, and more concerned with how each of those apply to us as individuals and families.

I’ve talked before about one silver lining to Covid-19, is the ability to reset the system and redefine daily routines. (Routine). So what is resilience, and what should we be redefining it to be going forward.

El Duderino getting his mobility work in

Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. Again, that seems like a lot to chew on because recover is different in so many scenarios. Maybe you got Covid, your overall level of health prior, would partially dictate your resilience and ability to recover. But does recover mean the virus is gone, or all the complications from the virus are gone, or maybe you have it but can still function day to day?

The same sort of mental puzzle can be applied to financial resilience. Maybe you had a good job and even a rainy day fund prior to Covid-19. That would be a starting point of financial strength and resilience. What if that job was in an industry that is totally shut down (cruise ships, bars, live events, travel) and your rainy day fund is now dry? What does your capacity for recovery look like now?

El Duderino, giving me some suitcase packing tips

This is something I have grappled with over the past few weeks as a pilot with uncertain future employment. I’m in good health and working on it every day, I live within my means and make good financial decisions, but my capacity to recover quickly from this difficulty will be tested.

As is often the case taxonomy and diction are important. Everything I focused on above was a tangible asset. Health (measured in metrics like heart rate, blood pressure, H1ac) a job, a bank account. And while those things definitely add to my capacity to recover, they are all in some sense finite. Capacity, capability, ability to recover, will be largely determined by intangible, and less finite personal resources, especially the longer this pandemic troubles us.

Perseverance, discipline, creativity, ingenuity, and some good old fashioned SerenityThroughSweat, these are all intangible, inexhaustible, and will help foster resilience through this crisis.

So, if we are going to redefine resilience, let’s include those tangible and finite assets that affect our mental, physical, and financial well being. But let’s not forget the less tangible and trending towards infinite ones as well.

24kg kettlebell snatch and overhead squat

There has never been a better time to take up practices that support overall well-being. There has never been a better time to set up or reevaluate a budget. There has also never been a better time to pivot, thinking about the world that will emerge from this crisis, and learn a new skill that will serve you regardless of what comes next.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.

Briefings

Thanks for joining me for another edition of the SerenityThroughSweat blog. Today I want to talk about briefings, what they are, why they are useful, and some pitfalls I commonly find myself in with my own briefings.

As is often the case in life and in the blog, taxonomy is important to understanding. Briefing as a noun is a meeting for giving information or instructions, and as a verb, it is the act of informing or instructing.

Laugh sessions with Speedy

As mundane as those definitions sound, briefings affect the way we manage our families, our businesses, and our country. Good briefings can set us up for success just as much as bad briefings can leave us exposed to unmitigated risk.

I am constantly briefing. Pilots brief everything. Takeoff, departure, weather, maintenance, passengers, arrival, landing, expected threats, you get the idea. We do a lot of briefing. Those briefings (especially my own) have a tendency to get repetitive and monotonous, and like most things that are repetitive and monotonous, they tend to slip into a state of complacency.

As pilots, we know this, (and are constantly reminded of it by, oddly enough, by union, company and third party briefings) yet we all too often slip into a laissez faire attitude to our fellow aviators’ briefings. I recently had a captain brief me saying “we’re gonna do that stuff”. Does that sound like a professional giving information or instructions?

Briefings should of course be brief. As someone who likes to talk (and write), I know the tendency is to expound and leave no stone unturned. But, these aren’t thesis defenses, and no one wants to be lectured past the bullet points.

Shapes, colors, and numbers with El Duderino

Remembering that briefings are a form of instruction or a passing of information, it helps to know what you are talking about on more than just a surface level. Instruction requires a familiarity with the intricacies of the material in order to effectively brief.

As we said early taxonomy is important and so is diction. Understanding the material and keeping your message short, means that your word choices are critical. How many times have you listened to a politician who speaks a lot of words without saying anything?

These are relatively simple rules, but it is not hard to find examples (including in this blog) of briefings running afoul. In a time where information is so readily available we still struggle mightily with the effective transfer of it.

Transferring ideas means more than just slingshotting 280 characters into the void. It demands careful contemplation of your communiqué and curation of you channel of delivery. All alliteration aside, transferring ideas equals effective briefings. Like most things discussed in this blog, it is a difficult and valuable skill that can be practiced, and improved, and one we could all benefit from.

Thanks for joining me, stay safe and stay sweaty my friends.