"I was Naked on the Plane..."
Apr 25, 2024
Photo by [email protected] on SDA Senior Dining Hospitality Conference 2024.
At least my EARS were naked.
I ditched my headphones.
I embraced “ears unplugged” on a flight to see what happened.
Earlier this week, I flew to Asheville, North Carolina to present to a group at The Biltmore Estates. As it was about an hour flight, I decided to try an experiment.
Instead of using my headphones and going head first into my laptop or phone, I chose not to use them to be able to offer a signal to my fellow passengers that I was indeed “available to interact”. This is what happened:
- The flight attendant didn’t need to instruct me to remove anything when she shared the safety procedure for being in an emergency exit row
- My seatmate felt comfortable to talk with me about her drive from NC to Texas with her sister that was moving there as her husband received a military transfer. She asked about me and may have an opportunity for me to speak at her school’s association conference.
- The woman across the aisle was taking her first “girl’s trip” since having her baby and insisted on showing me adorable pics of her infant
- Another traveller ahead of me overheard our conversation and suggested one of the best “cool grilled chicken salads” I’ve ever had (Corner Kitchen restaurant)
The impact and the learnings continued to the point where I chose to remain “ears unplugged” for my future Uber trips on this visit.
The stories were invaluable and fulfilled my heart.
Everyone has a story, we just need to be available to listen.
