Last month, Suhail Babu at ATBC gave me an interesting challenge: conduct a vision percolation training for the sales team of PalmTree Group in Cochin. The catch? The entire session had to be in Hindi.
Now, here’s the thing—before this, I’d never done a full-day session in Hindi. In fact, my total experience of speaking Hindi was limited to just a few hours in my life. Despite living in Delhi for two years during my linguistics studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, many of my friends there preferred to practice their English with me, and some others made fun of me when I made a mistake, so I ended up not practicing much Hindi myself.
When I asked Suhail Bhai, who contacted me about the session, if I could mix some English with Hindi, he said mixing Malayalam, but not English, might work since many participants were in Kerala for some years now. But I found it really hard to imagine switching between Hindi and Malayalam—it just didn’t feel natural. So, I decided to go all in and deliver the entire session in Hindi.
With jast over a week to prepare, I started warming up by listening to Hindi podcasts daily. That’s when I realized that, even though I hadn’t spoken much Hindi over the years, I had absorbed enough to build on. I decided to trust myself and give it my best.
The session itself was another challenge—talking about something as abstract as vision, purpose, and values isn’t easy, especially in a language you’re not used to. But I worked hard to simplify the concepts and make them relatable. By the end of the day, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants from all over India—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam—told me they not only enjoyed the session but also appreciated my Hindi!
This experience taught me that stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to surprising discoveries. It wasn’t just about the language; it was about connecting, adapting, and delivering value.
Looking back, I’m grateful for the challenge. If you’re ever faced with something that seems outside your expertise, take the leap. You never know what you’re capable of until you try.
Vineeth Vinnie
Corporate Human Skills Coach
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