Find your flavor...

        I was watching a TEDx talk from Palki Sharma Upadhyay, a news reader from Wion. Yes she is known for her news series called 'Gravitas' and one thing that stuck my mind in her talk was 'Find your flavor'. The world is competitive, no doubt. We are all moving from macro-competition to micro-competition. With that it would mean, we are not bound by industry-specific competition or even company-specific-competition, it is more individuals competition over other w.r.t skills, intelligence, productivity, offerings, value adds etc.

     Let me stick to teaching field for now. What makes a teacher find his niche? Is it the art of story telling? Is it the magic he creates on the stage with his performance? Is it the mesmerizing narration? Is it his command over the content? Is it the thought-provoking questions that he ask? Is it making them create something new?  Or is it just his charisma that the students love?

   Oh yeah, the ingredients for this flavor to become a perfect mentor/coach are many for sure. What is the perfect combo that makes it finger-licking one? Is it hard to say? Let me experiment on my perfect recipe of mentoring:

- art of storytelling is definitely one

- making them think for themselves is another

- bringing out the best versions of themselves 

- playfully instigating the curiosity in the subject 

- ability to connect the dots of the subject with their personal interests 

- skillfully questioning to get the answers from them

- moving from convergent thinking to a divergent one

- enriching their imagination thru the art of visualization is another

- definitely inculcating the habit of creating something new 

I am sure, you would know the methods to find this perfect balance are many. Few I can think of are

- puzzles, futuristic thoughts

- role plays, dramas

-  identifying their talents and building their passions

- make them give presentations

- projects that drive their curiosity

       The ultimate goal is to make them self-learners in the topics they love. Build the curiosity in them and make them think for themselves. The skill lies in the perfect execution. After all we are just playing the drama on stage with the audience curious to know what the next scene would be. Just remember to be genuine in your act.

      At the end, we hope that our act has inspired a few to change their lives.  Think and make them prosper. Find your niche....or rather the flavor. Let the aroma spread across.