Post by tomdurst on Nov 18, 2008 16:44:53 GMT -5
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
by Thomas E. Durst
"Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.." ~ Gerald Ford
WE MUST LEARN TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY and be persistent about it to avoid fragmenting and going our separate ways. I've seen a lot of "electronic" anger, especially expressed in "reply all" discussion type emails and also Forums and Blogs. It is so easy to "tell someone off" when you're typing in front of a screen. This need not and should not be.
Effective communication is one of the greatest challenges that we all face. We need to make allowances for that and be patient and charitable with one another. It takes a very long time to get to know one another, even in close relationships. A married couple can be together for years and still be learning more about one another. How, then, can we expect perfect understanding of less close relationships? We need to be patient and keep at it to have mutually beneficial communication. Everything in life that is worth-while takes hard work.
It is so easy to misunderstand a person, see something that doesn't appeal to us, and stop communicating. Sometimes it is painful to keep communication open because we may be forced to face some of our own issues and so it is easier just to "crawl into a hole" and withdraw. This doesn't resolve anything and perhaps blocks an opportunity for personal growth.
One of my high priorities in life is to bring people together in love and understanding. I do my best to encourage folks to stop, think, and be more open to see the other person's point of view or try to understand more fully the background and circumstances that may be affecting the particular situation or issue at hand. I do this very imperfectly but am going to keep trying anyway.
"Once a human being has arrived on this earth, communication is the largest single factor determining what kinds of relationships he makes with others and what happens to him in the world about him." ~ Virginia Satir
I invite you to read THE TERMITES OF RELATIONSHIPS which is on the link below:
THE TERMITES OF RELATIONSHIPS