Texting can be a wonderful tool. It can be simple and quick. It can be very convenient to send simple, short messages to relay a brief thought such as “Will you please pick up some bread and milk on your way home?”, or “I love you.”. or even “Happy birthday!” However, it can be a […]
Creatures Of Habit Revisited
We are creatures of habit. We live our lives mostly by the habits we have developed. Have you ever left work intending to stop by the store on your way home and completely forgot? Did you just go home the same way as usual and didn’t think about the store once you were on the […]
Words Have Meaning
We’ve been looking at the difference between choosing simple language verses complex language. To review, we looked at talking in a manner with too much detail where our listener may get lost in following along because there is just so much information. We also discussed why it is important to provide enough detail to allow […]
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
It takes a thousand words, (or maybe more), to describe a picture because there is a lot of detail in a picture. The shapes, sizes, colors, textures and locations just to name a few. Our thoughts are like a picture in our mind. The challenge of great communication is to take the picture that is […]
Simple or Complex – Which is Better?
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who spoke with big words or a bunch of detail that you ended up not knowing what they were taking about? Were they using words that most people don’t know or have not even ever heard? Or did they explain things with such over-the-top details that […]
Think Before You Speak
When we are talking with another person we are exchanging thoughts and ideas. What we say originates as a thought in our mind. Our mind, the incredible God-given instrument we possess, then instantly creates words from our thoughts so we can express them to others. Whether your thoughts are simple or complex, you cannot transmit […]
Backstabbing Can Interfere With Communication
Sometimes our personality or our behavior traits make communicating difficult. One such behavior is backstabbing or slandering. Just the other day, I was having a conversation with a man about his work. As he was telling me about what he did for a living and about where he worked, he started complaining about his boss […]
10 Ways To Have A Better Conversation by Celeste Headlee
Please enjoy this TED Talk from Celeste Headlee, an award-winning journalist. She is former host and creator of the daily news show “On Second Thought” on Georgia Public Broadcasting in Atlanta. Celeste has appeared on NPR, PBS World, PRI, CNN, BBC and other international networks. She’s a sub host at National Public Radio, anchoring shows […]
Listen To What Is Not Being Said
People often talk with a flair for vagueness. Often, folks don’t really say what they are thinking. There are many different reasons for this behavior. What we want to focus on today, is how we can better listen to what is NOT BEING SAID. Now hold on a minute. How can we listen to what […]
Go Ahead… Animate!
Blank face listeners are very frustrating to talk with. Having a conversation with someone who looks back at you with a unemotional face is difficult. You don’t know if they are listening. Are they agreeing or disagreeing? We have previously discussed the importance of providing feedback during a conversation. Not just verbal feedback, but non-verbal […]