'I Figured Out the Answer' and Insights on Relationships, Elections and Personal 'Surge Protectors'

Red Diamonds, a Communication Intelligence special feature

Red Diamonds is a feature that was a section in Communication Intelligence magazine, now out of circulation, from July 2021 to May 2024.

I’m reintroducing it now, in Communication Intelligence, the newsletter.

Red Diamonds will be a feature that showcases the most illuminating quotes from sources in published articles over the last week.

I hope you enjoy it and share it.

Chris L. Johnson

“I didn't know the answer,” said Chris L. Johnson, a mental fitness coach, founder and CEO at Chris Johnson Hoops, aka, JusHoop.

“Fast forward, raising my kids, a couple of years ago, I figured out the answer.”

What he discovered was why, years ago, in front of authority figures (teachers) he had been timid and uncomfortable asking questions to learn. It was the house he was raised in, and the adult figures who didn’t create an environment for curiosity and learning.

So he took that mindset to the classroom. He was bright. Outgoing in sports. Yet quiet, too quiet, in class. Here are some of the top quotes in it:

Red Diamonds: Learning What Was Behind Situational Communication Timidity

1. “We can easily identify past encounters which have diminished our self-assurance when communicating with others,” says Doug Crawford, the founder at Best Trade Schools. “Some past interactions might have involved others who brushed aside our ideas or termed our value as insignificant.

2. “These experiences embed themselves in our memory making us doubt our ability in the future. We will become more cautious in next conversations because we worry that talking will result in more rejection or arguments.”

3. “The concern about ending up ridiculed enables our fearful beliefs to escalate each time we permit the fear to guide our speaking habits,” Crawford says.

4. “Past engagement with people does not determine either our value as a person nor how much we contribute today.”