Communication
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A Thanksgiving conversation primer
“Real conversation can’t happen if listening is just my waiting for you to finish talking.” ~Alan Alda Our social lives took a huge hit during the pandemic. We celebrated birthdays with drive-by parades, limited our holiday gatherings to small family bubbles, and even Zoomed memorial services. Now that our lives are back to near-normal, we look forward to gathering around our holiday tables with friends and family. We’re also rediscovering how to talk to each other after long periods of semi-isolation and social distancing. Not long after the pandemic eased, a friend confided that her social skills suddenly feel a bit “rusty” — especially when she meets new people at larger parties or work functions. No wonder.…
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Take nothing for granted
“We never know the worth of water until the well is dry.” ~Thomas Fuller, English historian, 1608 – 1661 Here’s another interesting thought to consider during the season of Thanksgiving: The opposite of feeling grateful is taking someone or something for granted. Anything worth keeping needs our care and attention — because nothing on earth is truly guaranteed. Look at everything you count on in your life right now. Are you taking any of it for granted? At home, do you maintain and appreciate the things you own and rely on daily? On the job, do you try to enhance your value to the company or are you just putting…
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The future of incivility
“If you do not have control over your mouth, you will not have control over your future.” ~Germany Kent Lately, it seems, a lot of people feel entitled to speak their minds without regard for the feelings of others. If they hurt or offend someone, they’re more likely to defend themselves rather than apologize. But they do so at their own peril. As today’s quote suggests, what we say to someone today has consequences in the future. Which is why the freedom to express ourselves candidly should be handled with respect and care. Rude remarks are rarely endearing, after all. Whether our insensitive comments are personal or political, our words might…
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Make a note of it
“In this era of email and voice mail and all those things that I didn’t grow up with, a plain old paper letter takes on amazing intimacy.” ~Elizabeth Kostova Yesterday I found a hand-written thank you note in my mail slot, delivered by the husband of a neighbor who’s still recovering from joint-replacement surgery. I had dropped off a container of chili at their home a week earlier, knowing how hard it is to cook meals when you’re barely able to walk. This dear neighbor had extended the same kindness to me when I was recovering — and I certainly didn’t expect her to write a thank you note. Nonetheless,…
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Listening skills
“One of the benchmarks of great communicators is their ability to listen — not just to what’s being said, but to what’s not being said as well. They listen between the lines.” ~ Laurie Buchanan, author I’ve always been interested in how communication works — or doesn’t work — in our daily lives. Good listening skills are as essential to healthy relationships as good talk. Thankfully, I’m married to a guy who’s an outstanding, empathetic listener. (That’s him in the background of the photo above.) More often than not, however, I notice that other people are so focused on what they want to say next that they aren’t really listening to…
