Have you ever experienced this?  You think you are having a private conversation with someone, you are saying  things that you certainly would not want the world to hear, but your microphone is still on and lo and behold, the whole world does hear.  Ouch.  If this has never happened to you, you have probably heard or read about  the hot mic faux pas of others.  These situations are embarrassing , humiliating, hurtful and sometimes career changing.

I like to think that there is an opportunity in any situation and I think there is a powerful prospect in implementing the hot mic practice into our daily living.  Here’s  my suggestion.  As you go through your day pretend that you are hot-wired with a microphone.   You are live.   Everything you say will be broadcast out to the world for all to hear.  Wow, that is big.  Would you change the way you talk to and about people?  I’m guessing that you would.  Challenge yourself.  Metaphorically mic up.  Act as if anyone can hear your conversations regardless of who you are talking to or what you are talking about.  It seems to me that this would change a few things.  Perhaps there would be less gossip and more compassion, less yelling and more listening, less assuming and more fact finding, less blaming and more cooperation, less hurting and more helping, less sadness and more gladness.  Give it a go.  Jump on the less is more bandwagon.  Clean up your conversations and see what happens.  And if you really want to challenge yourself, clean up your thinking too.  Pretend that everything you are thinking, especially the “self-talk” that bounces around in your head each day, is being announced to be heard by all.  That could be a real game changer!