Do you think it is a human err to assume everyone is at the same level as you are? This is difficult to opine about without actually falling into the trap itself. So I will make it personal and see if anyone else struggles with this problem. I tend to assume that because I have reached a level of understanding everyone else already arrived. It’s as if I expect to be the last one to the party.
Continue readingCommunication
My dear, perception is everything
The older I get the more I understand reality isn’t necessarily real. At least, my reality may not be your reality. My reality is processed through my filters and spits out as as my perception of reality. While we may find others that share similar filters, no two filters truly process the same. Here is an example of how our perception influences our reality.
Continue readingModern Hieroglyphics
As a pseudo-writer, I often ponder on the wonderful use of language to communicate. This is the year 2020 and we have come a long way to learn how to communicate more effectively. Let’s take a short look at our advancement as a species, shall we?
Continue readingGood communicator
No one should expect to be understood by everyone. When presenting expect a percentage in the audience to be completely lost and help at least 50% of the lost to understand then move on. The rest will catch up or not. Continue reading
Friday ramblings: A Plea for Communicators
Life is really about perception. There is no color, really. It’s how our eyes tell our brain to perceive the light reflecting off objects that we see. That’s why there can be disagreement on something that seems as true as the color of an object. Our brains translate what our eyes see and at times, the truth can be lost in translation. Continue reading
The importance of communication
Life Lessons from the Volleyball Court
I blame volleyball for the fact I’m still single. That’s right. It’s all volleyball’s fault I sit at a table for one.
Okay, okay, so the real reason is my lack of desire to play the game. Ever since it was on the rotation in grade school’s PE class, I have had a strong dislike of playing the game. “Please don’t hit the ball to me,” I’d think to myself in a prayer-like chant. That continued through Jr. High and High School’s PE rotation as well. I never developed an appreciation for the game. And since it is the go-to fall back in single wards, I’d avoid it. Hence, singledom. Just not my thing. So imagine my surprise when my youngest niece develops a liking toward it. Enough liking to be on the High School’s volleyball team. That is the only reason I’ve been watching the sport lately. As I sat at her game recently, I thought of how the sport can relate to life. Continue reading
What Are You Thinking?
by W. Craig Zwick
This is definitely something I need to learn (and I’m a slow learner).
My Quest for Personal Power. But in a good kinda way.
I recently read this blog post by my friend Stephanie. Two days later, I was embroiled in a family conflict. I could feel gray hairs popping out from my latest dye job from stress as I thought about Steph’s words. But it was stress I brought on myself.
If I would have communicated better early on, I may not have gotten an upset stomach. Nor would I have been tempted to play the blame game. Or label a certain someone as a bossy brat (even if it is apropos). And perhaps, I wouldn’t have been tempted to become a hermitess and disown certain extended family members (I admit, I muttered, “who needs family?”).
There is a finesse to good communication skills. A person, especially a woman, who takes charge, is quickly labeled with the negative connotation of being “bossy.” I know I’ve done it. Personally, I need to learn positive communication habits. Or in other words, how to say what I want and then hear what I may not want to hear. I believe poor communication habits have led to 90% of the stress in my life. And maybe even my premature gray hair (just kidding, that was genetic).
Perhaps, perfect communication skills will be a key in obtaining the utopian society we all strive for. Until then, in the words of John Mayer, I need to say what I need to say. If I don’t, I can’t blame other people for my stress.
