Trailhead Thoughts
“Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity.”
- Nat Turner
Trail Map - Learn. Think. Act. ™
How Much is Communication Costing Your Business?
In 2022, Grammarly and the Harris Poll estimated the cost at $12k per year, per person. Those are direct costs. But what about the downstream indirect costs?
This week, we go deep on communication by building skills and leveraging tools.
📚Learn
Master these 3 communication skills:
Ask better questions - Start conversations that go beyond surface level.
Listen and Observe - Use your ears and your eyes. Watch body language. Stay present.
Communicate What You Heard - Reflect back. Validate understanding. Avoid assumptions.
Then apply 3 tools:
Power Questions - Who, What, Why, When, Where, How. Use them to dig deeper.
Call Plan - Know who you’re talking to, what they want, and what happens next.
The Four Ways of Seeing - A red team tool to build empathy
🤔Think
When was the last time someone misunderstood you?
Are you actually listening - or just waiting for your turn to talk?
How often do you validate what you think you heard?
How often do you validate what others heard?
💪 Act
Practice role-play: Ask, “What did you do this weekend?”
→ Listen with eyes and ears.
→ Don’t respond - ask a follow-up. Repeat.
Try the call plan in your next meeting:
Who are they?
What do they want?
What do you want?
What are the 3 clear next steps?
Beyond the Trailhead
Stop Talking. Start Communicating.
Charlie Kirk said, “When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts.” He wasn’t wrong. When communication breaks down in marriages, the result is often divorce. When friends stop communicating, the distance grows. And at work? Misunderstanding, frustration, and apathy find a way in.
Think about the last time you left a meeting and everyone walked out with a different idea of what just happened. That wasn’t lack of effort - it was more likely a lack of skill. Communication breaks down not because people don’t want to connect, but because they shortcut the process. They don’t ask enough questions. They are curious or interested enough. They half-listen. They assume.
Poor communication doesn’t just slow things down - it compounds into frustration, rework, missed deadlines, and broken trust. It’s the silent tax every business pays until someone calls it out.
So what does better look like? It looks like curiosity. Leaders who stop trying to sound smart and instead ask one more why.” It looks like presence. Noticing when the body language in the room says the exact opposite of the words being spoken. And it looks like validation. Reflecting back what you heard, even if it feels repetitive, because clarity will beat clever every time.
Catalyst Sale Call Plan™
The tools are there if you’re willing to use them. Simple questions to dig deeper. A Call Plan to keep conversations focused. Four Ways of Seeing to remind you that your view is never the only view. Tools don’t replace skill, but they can give you structure.
The next time you are in a conversation, resist the urge to be the first with an answer. Instead, be the last with a question. You’ll be surprised how quickly the noise fades and real understanding emerges.
Voices from the Trail
Meet Donald - speaker, trainer, and retired State Park Director
Leadership lessons are found everywhere. Even in the natural rhythms of a park. In this episode, Mike and Donald explore how leading by example, practicing vulnerability, and staying attuned to your environment can strengthen both teams and organizations.
Listen to this episode on Spotify
Hitting the Trail
We’re lacing up and heading out. Here’s where Catalyst will be in the coming weeks. Join us on the path and be part of the conversation.
That’s it for this week.
Share this with a friend or colleague and help them find their path forward.
Keep putting one intentional step in front of the other - the view gets better and better as you climb.
The Find My Catalyst Team