Number 43 of 52 Compelling Communicators: Michael J. Fox
October 28, 2013
I probably would never have read Michael J.
Fox’s book, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future” if he did not
have Parkinson’s. You see my brother, Don, has Parkinson’s and I have a huge
interest in what he is going through as well as anything that will ease his
challenges. I thought the book would help. The content of the book was a
complete surprise. It had very little about the disease and was mostly about
his street-smart education and personal life lessons.
It was mainly his book, along with his acting
in The Good Wife television show that prompted me to include him as a
compelling communicator. Even though I support his Parkinson’s Foundation and
follow him on Twitter, saw his Back to the Future movies and other popular
shows; I was captivated by his role on The Good Wife and his wisdom in that
quirky book.
Starting with The Good Wife, a legal and
political drama television series (my favourite type of show) Mr. Fox played a
devious lawyer who uses his tardive dyskinesia, a disorder resulting in
involuntary, and repetitive body movements – a swinging gait, to his advantage.
My brother has been known to do the same – it can be dark humour but highly
entertaining. While the character in the show has these continuous movements
you forget about them when he speaks, unless he has a reason to distract you.
If he does not want you to hear the rival lawyer’s dissertation, he will
shakily pour a glass of water or rustle papers obtrusively.
It takes a while to get over the visual
impact of someone who is constantly moving. Usually, it is more about the mover
than the watcher. If the person does not appear uncomfortable, the audience
soon gets accustomed to trait and it gets normalized.
Michael J. Fox has mastered that…as has my
brother. So much about good communication comes from attitude and reaction or
non-reaction to extenuating circumstances. I often see this in my workshops. If
the room is uncomfortable or someone is trying to disrupt the flow, my role as
facilitator becomes ever more critical. I can help balance the energy in the
room purely by my response.
Fox’s life lessons in his, A Funny Thing…book
give you the same feeling. His observations resonate in their simplicity. Economics is explained via his disastrous
money management and in the comparative literature chapter he analyzes books
and their subsequent movies. He covers off Political Science and Geography in
the same, fun manner.
Where he brings it all home for me is in Part III, Pay Attention Kid, You Might Learn Something. He used to tell people he
was an autodidact, a self-taught person. After realizing that was a schmucky
thing to believe and say, he goes on to share what he has learned from the
people in this life.
He ends that Chapter with these superb words:
“In my experience, a mentor doesn’t
necessarily tell you what to do, but more importantly tells you what they did
or might do, then trusts you to draw your own conclusions and act accordingly.
If you succeed, they’ll take one step back, and if you screw up, they’ll take
one step closer. Whatever it is they teach you…pass it on."
All of my compelling communicators in this
series have taught me something, which is what I am passing on.
Cheers.
“One’s education is never complete. A missed opportunity doesn’t
preclude the possibility of new opportunities, or even better ones” Michael J.
Fox
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