People ask me all the time if I was a natural born speaker and communications expert. I tell them “no.” Then they want to know if I have special or rare talents to make it easy for me to speak well. Again, the answer is “no.” But there is one skill I have that many people don’t have: the ability to listen and learn from people who I have absolutely no ideological or philosophical agreement with. 

As a kid growing up in the 70s in North Caroline< I developed a fascination with Sen. Jesse Helms, the Rush Limbaugh of his times. Helms became famous for his television, radio and print commentaries in the 60s and his hard-core conservative viewpoints. Even though I never agreed with Helms on much or anything, I developed a respect for his passion, clarity, and forcefulness of speech. Most people don’t seem to be able to separate message from technique, so they intstantly tune out anyone with whom they have disagreements. This is a mistake. Jesse Helms passed away last week http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/us/politics/00helms.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=jesse+helms&st=nyt&oref=slogin. I can’t say I mourn his loss, but he was a role model for me in many ways–he won’t soon be forgotten.