My Life as a San Francisco Realtor

Shared Experiences = Life Long Value

I was thinking earlier this afternoon about shared experiences and the bonds that come out of them. I remembered an experience I had 10 years ago while I was an Architect at KMD Architects  in San Francisco. I was sent to an 'Executive Speaking Experience Workshop.' It was held at a beautiful hotel in Sonoma, CA. The workshop was limited to 6 participants - one of my coworkers was there but the others were strangers.

Luckily through some old emails and searching the internet, I found the name of the coach, Lynda Paulson, and her company, Success Strategies. The following is a brief description of the 2-day session:

 The two-day Executive Speaking Experience is different. Unlike any other speech coach, Lynda Paulson engages with just six participants at a time in an intimate, non-intimidating environment.

• a supportive, very personalized workshop
• focused attention on individual strengths and weaknesses
• experimentation and practice through nearly a dozen live video taping sessions
• critique, evaluation and review by the coach and peers
• an abundant "take-home" package of materials and resources
• follow-up for important presentations after the workshop

The first day was mostly about interactive exercises and practice in front of the video camera. I spent that evening in my hotel room writing a speech - it needed to be something I CARED about, something I had a PASSION for. So my subject was Aids Walk San Francisco. I wrote it and re-wrote it, and then went over and over it, practicing it to make it REAL, and be able to deliver it from memory. I was TERRIFIED!

The next day started with a few more interactive exercises, and then we had to deliver our speeches. I didn't realize how close I had become to these other 5 people. At the start of the first day we all saw the abilities of the others, the awkwardness, the strengths, some terrified of speaking and being recorded, some a little shy, some not.

At the end of the second day and the workshop, and after seeing the incredible IMPROVEMENT and PROFESSIONALISM in everyone's presentation - I couldn't have felt closer to 5 other people than I did right then and there. I felt like my life had changed.

I had sent an email some time later to one of the other participants, Amy Iadarola. She was controller at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in St. Helena, and now today is involved with her husband Jac Cole at Bella Vetta Vineyards in Anwin. Here is a portion of the email.

"I want to tell you how glad I am that you were at the workshop! I enjoyed getting to know everyone there. I don't know about you, but I have never had such an experience before where I felt so close to people I had never met just the day before! That alone has changed how I look at life. I'm glad that you and Tran are my neighbors!"

I could go on now to make a point about real estate. But I think you can all get the connection yourselves. Every relationship we have, whether with friends, partners, lovers, clients, business partners or even strangers, has the potential to add a great deal to our lives. Make the most of them!