Why Bold Communicators Don’t Wait for the Snake

Update: The training ground ideas HERE

​I recently came across a quotation by Jordan Peterson about being courageous and forthright so that you can encounter the “snakes” in life on your own terms, rather than waiting for them to catch you while you hide. I first read it in the context of life decisions and risk, but quite quickly I realised how precisely this applies to communication.

Because in communication, the snakes are very specific.

​They are those moments when a sentence is already there, almost fully formed, and yet something stops you. You start questioning whether it is correct, whether the wording is right, whether the register fits, whether it might sound off. This happens very often for people working in a second language, where grammar, vocabulary, and formality come into play, but it also happens in our first language, when we are unsure how something will land in a particular situation.

And so the sentence stays in your head.

It circles there, sometimes very clearly, and yet it never gets tested.
This is where most people lose control without realising it.
Because the issue is not that the sentence was imperfect. The issue is that it was never brought into reality, where it could be adjusted, clarified, or improved. Silence feels like a safe decision, but in practice it delays the moment when that same difficulty will have to be faced.

This is why preparation for “snake territory” matters.

If you have access to a safer environment, a one-to-one conversation, a mentoring space, or a colleague you trust, this is not just a place to speak comfortably. It is your training ground. This is where you bring the exact phrases, ideas, and structures you hesitate to use in real situations.
You test them there.
You say the sentence you were not sure about. You check how it lands. You notice the reaction. You adjust. If you are working with a mentor or a trainer, you can ask directly how your message came across. If you are speaking with a colleague, you can still observe and refine.
What I often see, however, is the opposite approach. People use safe environments to speak freely, which is valuable, but they do not bring in the very things that block them outside. The difficult sentence stays outside the room. And then the first real attempt happens in a meeting, in a negotiation, or in a moment where clarity is expected and pressure is already present.

​At that point, you are no longer preparing the ground.
You are already in it.

Seen this way, communication is not about avoiding mistakes. It is about deciding where you want to make them first, and making sure that the first attempt does not happen when the stakes are high.
In practice, this requires a small but important shift. Instead of staying close to silence, you stay close to speaking. You bring the half-formed sentence. You say it, even if it is not perfect. You ask how it sounds. You check whether it fits. You allow yourself to see the effect of your words while the situation is still manageable.

This is how you prepare.
​
You do not eliminate the snakes. You meet them earlier, in conditions you can still influence, so that when you encounter them in real situations, they are no longer unfamiliar.