Quotes About Engagement

I miss the classroom and the bit I miss the most is the one-on-one personal interactions with the students, those moments when they surprise you with their insightfulness, or their cheekiness.

What would surprise people about working with LeBron is he's really into the things that he's into. And I think people don't understand that. They just think he's a basketball player, he's super busy. But he actually pays attention.

People like to know you're listening, and something as simple as a clarification question shows not only that you are listening but that you also care about what they're saying. You'll be surprised how much respect and appreciation you gain just by asking good questions.

The thing about television is that you can't fake it. Your sense of discovery must be genuine; you can't pretend to be surprised.

Regardless of any experiences in the past, for me it really is important to be engrossed in as much of the creative process as I possibly can. I was surprised with how much the eight years I spent on 'Castle' actually serviced that. I ended up, in a way, having a free education on that show.

But I've been surprised over the years. I mean, someone told me the other day that maybe 360 million people have played this game in the world. That's a lot of people.

He surprised me by his familiarity with details of movements and battles which I did not suppose had come to his knowledge. As he kept me talking for over half an hour, I flattered myself that what I had to say interested him.

If there is an audience out there for me, I want them to be surprised when the next book comes out.

I'm always surprised at how many people seem to like reading about what hardware and software I use.

When you feel an audience engaged and surprised and enthusiastic, reacting to what you've planned, that is the reward. It's better than the Emmys.

As a citizen of a community, if you never vote or engage, don't be surprised when the outcome doesn't serve your interests; you've never done anything to push things in the right direction.

The key is to constantly keep the audience surprised. If they feel like something is going to happen, or they think from an educational standpoint that something is about to happen because of all the moving parts, it is your job to break that expectation and show the audience something different.

I do believe that even if you're the most clever person around and you figure out the 'whodunit' and you're not surprised - that shouldn't prevent you from enjoying the story.

I want to keep active, so when they called me to fight Nate Diaz, I agreed because I wanted to stay active. I got a little surprised because he was out so long, but he's a tough opponent.

I don't plot, and I don't plan. I like to be surprised like the reader.

Your customers are always a bottomless well of surprises.

You can't mess around with young readers - you have to cut straight to the heart of the story. The character can be complex, the plot can have some surprises, but the emotions have to be clear.

The surprising thing is when we met Judas Priest, they all recognized us. They knew our songs. They knew 'Gimme Chocolate!' and started dancing along with the music.

As I write each new Thorne novel, I'm determined that whatever is happening plot-wise, a new layer of the onion will be peeled away and reveal something about Thorne that is surprising to me as much as anyone else. If I can remain interested in the character, then hopefully the reader will stay interested, too.

At the end of the day, the job is to tell the story that you promised to tell and do it in the most entertaining and perhaps surprising way you can think of.

As every successful parent learns, one way to encourage good behavior, from room-cleaning to tooth-brushing, is to make it fun. Not surprisingly, the same principle applies to adults. Adults like to have fun, too.

This is the first lesson for writers - or anyone - who conducts interviews: If you want someone to talk, you've got to know how to listen. And good listening is a surprisingly active process. The interviewee is your focus of attention; you are there to hear what he says and thinks, exclusively.

There are areas in which the Russians are actually surprisingly cooperative.

It is so rewarding to have a community that I can interact with. Whether it's meeting them in person or reading their comments, it's all so surreal and humbling.