Steve Shenbaum on Communication

Steve Shenbaum is the Founder and President of Game On Nation. For over 27 years, we’ve been helping sports teams, high performance organizations, government, and military personnel improve overall communication and relationship building by combining game-based exercises with practical techniques. Our end goal is to simplify the process and put words into action - moving from good to know to good to do - to enhance workplace behaviors, develop authentic connection, and improve overall team success. Steve had a number of amazing insights during our conversation. Some of them include: “Are we practicing what we’re sharing out into the world?” (9:25). “We always say know your audience, but we rarely put our most important audience first: [our family]” (14:20). “Tone is key” (16:50). “Laugh with, not at” (17:10). “Tone is the most important thing that I’m aware of when I’m talking with my children” (17:55). “I know my children’s learning styles” (19:30). “Everyone is a presenter” (23:40). “All speeds are very valuable, it’s just a matter of knowing and having discernment as to which speed you want to bring into the situation” (25:30). “Change speeds” (26:40). “We have to make sure we don’t go to extremes” (28:00). “Every interaction we have is an opportunity to naturally develop these muscles” (28:30). “We try our best to always have a sense of common sense, critical thinking, and emotional control… when you’re teaching improv” (33:00). “No one in their right mind is like ‘I cannot wait to get negative feedback.” We’re not wired that way” (40:10). “You cannot take someone’s feedback as a personal attack” (40:25). “Say what you saw and say it with grace” (42:25). “We have to make sure we don’t chase what I call the statistical anomaly” (44:25). “We always go to the negative” (45:00). “Surround yourself with a good advisory team” (48:40). “The most important feedback is from the people that have earned the right, that know you well, that actually speak true life into you” (49:15). “We have to be aware that when you’re on stage there is that high, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but we have to protect ourselves and make sure there’s a nice combination of empathy and authority on stage” (54:05). “You’re presenting with the audience” (56:35). “We need to humble ourselves as presenters and make sure we’re not just going in and high-kicking” (58:45). “When we present, what’s one positive word that we’re trying to make the audience feel?” (1:02:55). “If we only stay in the feelings, we’re going to be in a really difficult place” (1:11:35). “We very rarely argue good behaviors” (1:14:05). “Relationships are key. You have to build that trust. And there’s no quick fix” (1:16:50). “Do not rush relationships” (1:17:15). Additionally, you can find the Game On Nation website here, as well as their program guide here. You can also follow Game On Nation on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @gameonnation, and you can follow Steve directly on those same platforms (plus Twitter) @steveshenbaum. Thank you so much to Steve for coming on the podcast! I wrote a book called “Shift Your Mind” that was released in October of 2020, and you can order it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Additionally, I have launched a company called Strong Skills, and I encourage you to check out our new website https://www.strongskills.co/. If you liked this episode and/or any others, please follow me on Twitter: @brianlevenson or Instagram: @Intentional_Performers. Thanks for listening.