A couple of weeks ago I was invited to present a workshop at a nonprofit that was in the Battery Park area in lower Manhattan last week. I drove into “The City” since I was attending a QCP (Queens Centers for Progress) event in the Terrace on the Park in Queens that evening. The garage I used was located is a circa 1950’s design, a massive, multi-tiered, labyrinth of a self-parking lot that is located next to the entrance to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.

This place is so huge that they actually have an attendant who flags your car down so he can inform you of potential parking space sights in some nether region of the garage. I eventually located a parking spot and shoe-horned my Prius into place after having to fold down the mirrors like the wings on the pigeon that was observing the whole process. I left the car hoping that the exterior would be in a reasonable state when I returned.

The workshop went well and soon I was back at the garage where I had a heart-warming customer service experience. The parking attendant left his heated, guard booth to help me pay at the kiosk – a humbling occurrence but very appreciated. However, his helpfulness did not end there, he took the initiative to impart thoughtful garage guidance in a very New York way. “Ya better make sure that you leave the lot in 10 minutes otherwise you’re going to get charged big bucks – an extra $20 dollars!”

As I traveled to the fifth floor and legged across the garage’s huge expanse I thought “Well there’s a lesson here- The attendant was a great communicator and took his job to heart. He not only gave me information that I needed to know immediately but he took the time to share additional facts that I was not aware of so I could be a fully informed customer.”

When I located my car, I saw that it was still intact – no small achievement in New York City! Exiting my sliver of a space required a multitude of micro maneuvers and the need to keep my composure, because I caused a multi-car traffic jam in the process. I opted to hold onto these word “Assume good” knowing full well that there was some classic New York style swearing happening parts of that cue. I extracted myself from my space -with a smile and a wave I weaved my way down the endless spiral to the exit.

I finally arrived at the bottom of the ramp and my now favorite NY parking attendant emerged from his heated booth again to release me from exit gate captivity because I had issues with machine too! He waved me off with a smile and I thought “Now that is a good guy. He probably has to do this multiple times a day.” The attendant was patient and nice – winning combination.”

Now right about now, you are probably wondering “Is this this post’s main lesson?” No. It’s one of them so stay with me.

I exited the lot on a side street thinking “Now all I have to do is make a right onto West Street and head uptown be on my merry way.” Well, my turning lane catapulted me into the Battery Tunnel Entrance –to Brooklyn! Did this unexpected route change my only option at this moment? No. Technically, I could have summoned my BBQ roots (Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens) and driven around two Transit Authority guys wearing neon yellow jackets and across two lanes brightly outlined in yellow to gunned through a changing light. Of course, that would mean that I would have gotten nailed with multiple moving violations and points. So common sense prevailed, and I resigned myself to this fact that “Girl you’re going to Brooklyn.” This was not how I envisioned spending my time, but I would have to “deal with it.”

As I traveled through that long tunnel, my radio lost its connection and so I took that occurrence to engage in a New York style mindfulness “Sometimes there is no way out of a situation but to power through it.” Eventually I emerged into daylight, and bumper to bumper traffic on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

As I inched forward, I gazed at the ever changing New York City skyline and thought “I could spend the next thirty five minutes complaining and being angry,  or I could find something positive to do,” So I called my childhood friend from Queens and now Pittsburgh transplant and shared an animated Travel commentary.

While this leg of my journey was unplanned and longer than anticipated, I arrived at the event venue in a positive state of mind. I was ready to connect with my fellow attendees and celebrate the awardees accomplishments at the event.

Life is taking us in unplanned directions. Lately it can feel like we are traveling through an unending tunnel of change removed from the familiar. We need to figure out ways to keep our heads together, so we can move forward and take actions that will move us forward in positive ways and change any way that we can.

Is this the lesson? It sure is.

Onward.

The post My Communication Muses — The Battery Tunnel and Traffic appeared first on jryanpartners.com.

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Julienne Ryan Humorist, Speaker, Trainer, Facilitator, Coach

Julienne B. Ryan began her professional career at age five when she did TV commercials and learned important things like “the teamsters always eat first,” her social security number and how to endorse checks for bank deposit.

Ryan studied psychology in college because she wanted to understand humans. She conducted her “field work” in a variety of roles, hearing the phrases “merger synergies, reorganizations, downsizing and rightsizing for change” more times than she cares to mention.

Later she enrolled in an Ivy League graduate school where she paid oodles of money to validate her prior on-the-job learning experiences. However, she did learn to name drop up-to-date theories and trendy psychologists with alarming ease.

Ryan evolved into working in “Talent Management,” a fancy way of saying “try to find people and keep them moderately happy.” With inadequate budgets and staff allocations, she had to find creative ways to encourage her staff to work effectively. These ranged from begging and borrowing resources, improvising childcare, telling stories and even giving snacks as rewards. She tried to convince herself that working a bazillion hours and “multi-tasking” equaled achievement.

Her work took place in cubicles, conference rooms or, with luck, in offices with a door. Occasionally she would make the time to emerge from her allotted real estate to really talk to people. Ryan learned something transformative in the process:

Yes, she was effective. But not because she used fancy theories – or gave great snacks. Ryan’s success, her staff believed, was a result of her uncanny knack for weaving storytelling with humor to motivate and encourage them. Crucially, they encouraged Ryan to de-emphasize “that normal HR stuff” and focus on bringing her unique storytelling skills to a broader stage.

Thanks to them, Ryan continues to collect, connect and tell stories in her work helping people find their “true selves in the world of work.

She is the author of the humorous, all true "The Learned It In Queens Communications Playbook - Winning Against Distraction!".that now includes a workbook and is available at booksellers across the globe..

She is a guest contributor to The Procurement Foundry, LifeBlood, and the global storytelling community.

Certifications include
Accumatch (BI) Behavior Intelligence
Narativ Applied Storytelling Methodologies
Collective Brains – Mentorship Methodologies