I attended the Verbal Judo Course in Philadelphia and was highly impressed. Verbal Judo has provided some of the investigators under my leadership the communication skills that they have been lacking for such a long time. However, I do recognize this one thing…that like anything new and useful, you can’t get good at it unless you put it to use.

In my earlier years (I mean in my youth), I was a student of the martial arts and while in South East Asia on a military tour, I undertook learning ‘Lotus’, which is kin to Tae Quon Do. My instructor (who I only came to know as ‘Teacher’) imparted in me a wisdom that to this day I have never forgot. You see, as a youngster, I was so interested in moving past the exercises and into the heavy stuff, you know, like the important katas, that I almost omitted the most important lesson. You see, I wanted to be quick and agile, and move into the ‘big kata’ stuff like Bruce Lee, but then something happened. ‘Teacher’ pulled me aside and said these powerful words of wisdom which I have shared so many times with others and now impart to your reading audience.

Teacher said, “Practice execution, speed will come! Practice execution…speed will come.” And so today, as I reflect upon the lesson, the ‘katas’ of verbal judo, which were taught by you, I remember ‘Teacher’. The lesson of ‘Teacher’ still echoes in my mind. And so it is also true that we who undertake this lesson of verbal judo must now put it into practice.

We must practice executing what has been taught, otherwise, we would have missed a very valuable life lesson. The art of communication, like the art of martial defense does not come without effort. And, in the words of Og Mandino, “In all human affairs, there are efforts and there are results. And the strength of the effort is the measure of results. Gift, power, materials, intellectual, and spiritual gifts are the fruits of our labor. They are the thoughts completed, objects accomplished and visions realized.” And so I say to you, Mike Manley — the ‘Teacher’, thanks for the life lesson.