Rethinking Communication | Michael Ashford Corporate Speaker from Castle Rock, CO

Most of us were never taught how to communicate well. What we learned in school, and what has been modeled and incentivized in our careers and in our culture, has left us in a place where we know how to exert our ideas, opinions, and beliefs onto others, but we miss the other half of communication — the extraction. This blindspot in our formal education left gaps in our ability to connect with each other through our words, especially when trying to lead others, navigate conflict, build trust, and inspire change. It shows up on stages, in meeting rooms, in living rooms, and everywhere in between. I’m a former journalist, an author, and a communication expert. I have a Master's in Communication, I've delivered two TEDx Talks on curiosity and asking questions, and I'm an international speaking and communications coach. My aim is to encourage you to rethink what it means to be an effective communicator — to bring you perspectives and ways of looking at issues or topics that perhaps you haven’t considered before, to teach you how to ask curious questions, how to seek understanding over certainty, and how to listen and give space, so that ultimately, you might truly communicate well.