Communication Articles

How the Rich and Famous Spell Communication

May 30, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

Here is the third in my series on C.O.M.M.U.N.I.C.A.T.I.O.N.

“Communication is the key to education, understanding and peace.” James Bryce

“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.” -Walt Disney

“Men and women belong to different species and communications between them is still in its infancy.” -Bill Cosby

“Music is a very personal and emotional form of communication.” -Trevor Dunn

“Unlike then, the mail stream of today has diminished by such things as e-mails and faxes and cell phones and text messages, largely electronic means of communication that replace mail.” -John M. McHugh

“Never argue with a fool. Someone watching may not be able to tell the difference.” Unknown

“If we are strong, our strength will speak for itself. If we are weak, words will be of no help.” -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Communication is all anyone ever gets paid for ultimately…and if you cannot effectively communicate, you will pay…not get paid!” Doug Firebaugh

“A leader must look and act the part if he is going to have the success needed for a proper command.”-General George Washington to his commanders

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Mark Twain

“If you propose to speak, always ask yourself, is it true, is it necessary, is it kind.” -Siddhārtha Gautama

“One of them, for example, which will probably haunt me more than any other is the problem of communication.” -Georges Simenon

“Now it is evident that a little insight into the customs of every people is necessary to insure a kindly communication; this, joined with patience and kindness, will seldom fail with the natives of the interior.” -Charles Sturt

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: communication, quotes, series

How JoJoisms Spell Communication

May 28, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

Recently, I wrote an article for my Examiner column, “How Do the Scriptures Spell Communication?” where I shared several scriptures that began with the letters of the word communication. It was an enlightening look at some of the most important lessons on communication that the Bible teaches.

It occurred to me that I could do the same thing with the various communication quotes by mere humans including myself. So this week, I set out to find both JoJoisms and other communication quotes that fit the bill. Today I’m going to share with you how I spell communication. On Wednesday, I’ll share some other quotes that hold great lessons for us.

You may notice that some of these are new. I am afraid I have been remiss in creating JoJoisms that started with O,U, C and N so I had to write them especially for this article. In fact, I decided to create them all as Visual JoJoisms as well so I’d have something for you to look at while reading.

C aution: Studying communication skills will result in closer relationships and higher professional success. Side effects include self-esteem, confidence, personal happiness, longer marriages and winning sould for Christ. -JoJoism#133

O pening your mouth may be a right, but gaining an open ear is a privilege. -JoJoism#242

M y mouth punneth over. -JoJoism#107

M odern technology now allows us the opportunity to see what we say and hear what we see. -JoJoism#204

U nbelievable power resides just under your nose and above your chin. -JoJoism#243

N ow is NOT the time for indecision…or is it? -JoJoism#132

I ‘ve noticed that the English language does, indeed, have gender words like they do in Spanish. For example, when a man gets grey hair, they call him DISTINGUISHED. The feminine form of that word is…OLD. -JoJoism#28

C ancerous words are the cause of many a relationship illness. -JoJoism#244

A rguments are like screaming in a deaf man’s ear. He doesn’t hear you; he just knows you’re mad. -JoJoism#21

T he most important communication isn’t the speech you’ll give to a crowd. It’s the conversations you’ll share with friends & family. -JoJoism#35

I ’ve also noticed that if your dh is distinguished, chances are very good… -JoJoism#29 (see JoJoism#28)

O ptimum communication requires ultimate proficiency. -JoJoism#245

N othing worth hearing isn’t worth the time to say it well. -JoJoism#246

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: Communicaiton, JoJo, JoJoims, quotes, scriptures, Visual JoJoisms

Felix or Oscar?

May 23, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

I shared a bit of our daughter’s college graduation experience on Monday. Some of the things we learned in helping our daughter move out of her college dorm were that college students tend to be rather messy. I started thinking back to that old TV show, The Odd Couple. Oscar, in particular, came to mind. Remember Felix and Oscar?

Felix Unger was a rather up-tight, neat freak. Oscar Madison was the fun-loving slob. Can two divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy? Well, no! But many of these college students made it work. Some had roomates that were messy though they were rather neat. It seemed to work fairly well.

Does it work well in the “real world?” Actually, no.

If you pick up clients and take them out to dinner, your messy car might communicate that you are not very well organized in your business. If you have a messy home, your dinner party guests might get the idea your personal life is a mess. If you have a messy desk, it might tell your boss you aren’t ready for the responsiblity of promotion.

On the plane going to my daughter’s graduation I read a magazine article that said that 83% of HR managers judge you by the state of your desk.

Did you know that some interviewing sales professionals are asked if their prospective boss can meet their wives? When we were first married, my husband was looking into Dean Whitter. Yes, they asked to meet me! Messy wife, messy life!

If you’re website is messy, hard to navigate and filled with random “stuff,” your customers will not know what to do. If you’re blog is messy, filled with random thoughts, your readers won’t know what to read or feel compelled to come back. If your store is messy, filled with random merchandise, your patrons won’t know what you sell.

On the other hand, being too clean can be a problem as well. Felix often had a hard time letting people actually live in his living room. You see, it might get messy!

If you spend so much of your time making sure your car, house, office is neat and clean, people can be put off or afraid to be with you.

I think a healthy dose of Felix and Oscar, mixed with godly scripture and good communication makes a great recipe for communication in your relationships.

What say you? Do you tend to be more like Felix or Oscar? Have a Felix or Oscar friend? How does their home or office or car affect their relationships? What does it say about you?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: Felix Unger, HR managers, messy, Odd Couple, Oscar Madison

Communication Lessons from Shakespeare-Revisited

April 30, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

I blogged about this some time ago. While looking through my posts for another article, I found it and thought I’d share it again. Enjoy!

While going through my email files, I found the following quote:

“Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.” ~William Shakespeare

Shakespeare packs quite a lot into this one line and I thought it so profound that I wanted to dissect it to get the full impact of what he is saying here.

Shakespeare says that conversation should be pleasant without scurrility. Scurrility is abusive language or a rude remark. This is quite unique today with the invention of electronic communication such as you are reading here. More and more I see people who feel free or even justified to be rude just because they don’t have to look their victim in the eye as they do it.

Next he says conversation should be witty without affectation. Affectation means a speech that is not natural for you. It is natural to want to put your best foot forward when we present ourselves to others but it is important that we don’t change who God made us to fit that bill. I’m a goofball. It comes naturally. I goof around with language when I write and speak. It’s natural for me. If I were to try to be some Serious Sally, you might feel like I was putting on airs. In fact, I have a story to tell you about that.

Way back when I first started writing communication studies, my husband was in charge of editing my work. He doesn’t write the way I do. He’s got a fabulous sense of humor, but he doesn’t write that way. His style is more formal and polished. After reading over his changes, I remember thinking it sounded like I swallowed a dictionary! I took it back to him and said, “Lighten up, Francis!” (from a line in a movie)

God gave each of us a unique perspective. Nobody wants to read what you think someone else would say. They want to know what YOU think.

Next Shakespeare says we should be free without indecency. Free speech should not be so free that we compromise moral decency. Free speech has its consequences and one of them is that we have now become a society where anything goes, but very little is valuable. It’s hard to draw that line in law, but most of us know when it’s been crossed. Ephesians 4:29 tells us, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

For the past few weeks, I’ve been posting some fabulous videos of Christian comedians and I’ve noticed something. It takes so much more talent and creativity to be funny without swearing and what results makes you laugh even more!

Next he talks about being learned without conceitedness. Conversation should strive to be intelligent discussion without putting on those airs. Anne Morrow Lindbergh said “Good communication is as stimulating as black coffee and just as hard to sleep after.”

Do you have someone in your life that you dread talking to? Someone who either never says anything new or someone who is always talking about himself so that you get bored with the conversation? Do you have someone in your life you just LOVE talking to? Maybe this person is an elderly relative who always has such rich and interesting stories to tell about life in the last century. Conversation can be dull or it can have you hanging on every word. It’s up the the individual to give something interesting of himself and there is a fine line between giving of himself and giving himself.

Finally, Shakespeare talks about being novel without falsehood. This goes along the same lines as the previous segment. There are those for whom boredom breaks out of his mouth because he never interjects a novel idea into the conversation. Then there are those who spin wild tales just to wow their audience who is fully aware that almost none of this fantastic tale is actually true.

I hope you enjoyed your Communication lessons from Shakespeare! I now return you to your regularly scheduled era.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter!

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: communication, shakespeare

If you build it and they come, then what?

April 23, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

In the movie, Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner’s character heard, “If you build it, they will come.” He built it and they came. They came…in droves. The movie ends there…now what?

I remember watching the end of this movie wondering what they would do now. What would they charge? How would they collect the money? What if someone could see it from the road and didn’t want to pay? Where would all those hundreds of fans stay after the game?

So many adopted this tag line after that movie came out. If you build it, they will come. I remember an internet marketer who began using it as a way of letting his clients know that it didn’t end there for websites either. If you build a website, they won’t come until you advertise it. And many a marketing guru tells us that once they do come, we have to have our websites ready for them to entice them to order and to have a reason to come back.

So, if you build a blog and they come…and comment, what now? If you build a fan page and they come…and comment, now what? And if you build an online community and they come…and comment, what do we do now? We REPLY! Why? Because if you build it and they come and comment and you don’t respond, they will LEAVE!

If you post a bunch of things on your Facebook wall, blog, website, community, it’s just as if you were having a conversation with someone at a party. If you begin a conversation and the other guests comment and you stop talking, what do you think they would do? That’s exactly what they’ll do online too! How do you think your guests would feel if you stopped answering them at a party? How do you think the person on the other end of the telephone would feel if you suddenly stopped talking? That’s how your Facebook, Twitter, blog, online community and fan page commenters feel! ANSWER THEM!

Remember that just because you don’t see people face to face when you are online, doesn’t’ mean they don’t feel the same way they would if you were. If you post and they come and comment, it’s rude not to respond. They make it easy on Facebook so do it! Click “like.” It only takes a second! Respond with a :D. It only takes two. Answer their questions, respond to their comments. The more you do, the more they will engage. The more you ignore people, the less they will even read what you post!

I am amazed at all the people who post a ton of stuff on their wall or blog, invite comments and then NEVER go back and acknowledge the people who took the time to respond—especially the ones who took a great deal of time to write a thoughtful and helpful post.

I hear some of you thinking, “I just don’t have time to respond.” Then don’t post so much. Don’t ask from others what you are unwilling or unable to reciprocate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you liked this post, read…Seven Reasons Why YOU Should Sign Up for the Art of Eloquence Newsletter!

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: blog, comments, Field of Dreams, internet marketing, Kevin Costner, replies

Freshen Up Your Communication with Positive and Supportive Language

April 9, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

Have you ever been in a hurry or just plain frustrated to where you were rather curt or downright rude to someone? We tend to do this more with those we’re closest to rather than with strangers. We use harsh words, we nitpick, we exaggerate, and we wound. Sometimes we do it with our children and often we do it with our spouses. Some of us do it so much it has become a habit and to the point where we don’t even realize we are tearing down the very ones God has entrusted us to lift up. But God tells us in Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

We are called, Instead, to support, be helpful, positive and uplifting.

The Lord tells us to control our tongue:
Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”
Proverbs 11:12 “He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.”
Proverbs 11:13 “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.”
Proverbs 21:23 “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”

x
Because otherwise we may either communicate that we don’t care or wound others:
Proverbs 16:28 “A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”
Proverbs 18:8 “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”
Proverbs 25:18 “A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.”
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 20:19 “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lip.”

Knowing that we are to control our tongue and uplift others is one thing, but doing it is quite another. It’s hard to be nice when we are frustrated. It’s not easy to be uplifting when we feel pressed for time. Here are three simple tips that will help you to be more grace filled in your communication with others—especially those in our immediate family.

Three Tips to Soften Our Hearts and Words:
1. Ask yourself if what you are about to say is necessary and if it honors God.
Is what you are about to say something that really needs to be said? Is it really all that important that you correct Mary’s English or do you think everyone understood her well enough? Unless the crowd would be convinced of evil or it would do them some amount of damage, isn’t it better to leave Mary’s words alone rather than nitpick her English and make her feel inferior?

Is what you are about to day honoring to God or are you just convinced that you are the self appointed Conversation Correction Patrol? If what you are about to say will honor God by righting a wrong, correcting an injustice or helping someone, then go ahead. However, if what you are going to say will not reflect a loving God, then your mother was right, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

2. Put yourself in their shoes.
If God is calling you to say something, think first how you might feel if you were in their shoes. How would you want it to be said? Sharing a difficult bit of information is better said and easier heard if you do it in grace and with respect. Put yourself in their shoes and then word your communication accordingly.

3. Smile.
It’s hard to be harsh when you’re smiling. If what you’re about to say is of a more serious nature, smile on the inside as you say it. Smiling helps soften your heart and choose your words more respectfully.

Taking the time to think through what you are doing to say actually saves time in the long run. You’ll speak carefully so you won’t have to go back and correct yourself and you’ll speak graciously so you won’t have to go back and apologize for yourself either. Taking the time to freshen up our communication to be more uplifting actually causes less stress in our lives as well. So take the time to be uplifting and supportive to others and to speak words of love and care instead of the hurried harsh words we tend to give those closest to us.

Obviously, there is a lot more to it than just these three tips would lead you to believe. If you’d like some more information on how to speak in grace I suggest downloading sample lessons from two of our communication studies: 21 Days to More Godly Communication and Say What You Mean: Avoiding, Reducing and Resolving Conflicts. And for detailed articles/tips on various communication topics…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
For detailed articles/tips on various communication topics, free gifts and exclusive offers, subscribe to our newsletter! Subscribe now and get two free gifts including JoJo’s free eBook, Communication Activities: Finding Time to Talk to Your Children is a Busy World.

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: communication, freshen up, language, positive, supportive

Fulfilling Titus 2:7-8

March 26, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

“In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.” -Titus 2:7-8

The NIV translation puts it this way, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” Titus 2 is talking about being a good Christian example to others. In fact, Titus 2:15 goes on to say: “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.” The Lord is cautioning us that we are to speak such that we cannot be condemned by others because they will have nothing evil to say of us. What does that mean, exactly, both for us and for our listeners?

First, does this mean we shouldn’t say anything that unbelievers don’t want to hear? Does it mean we don’t stand up for our beliefs? Clearly no. The Bible directs us to share the Good News and tells us that we will be persecuted for His name-sake. God is telling us to speak in grace and truth so we cannot be accused of lying or being mean-spirited.

And secondly, does this mean that, if we speak in grace, nobody will speak out against us or accuse us of wrong doing? Absolutely not! While that would be nice, remember that we will be persecuted for His name-sake. It means we will be blameless both in the eyes of the Lord and that, while others may persecute us because they don’t like what we’ve said, they won’t be able to show us to be hateful or liars.

Sometimes that can be a difficult distinction to make. Most Christians wouldn’t knowingly choose to come off as rude. I say most because I have run into some who think the ends justify the means because they are doing God’s work. Mostly, though, it’s a matter of an unfortunate choice of words, giving an inappropriate example or saying something we don’t realize will alienate the very ones we are trying to reach. This is exactly why I wrote Say What You Mean: Defending the Faith. If you’d like more information on sharing your faith in a more comfortable, conversational way, scroll down to the bottom of that page and download our sample lesson.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
For detailed articles/tips on various communication topics, free gifts and exclusive offers, subscribe to our newsletter! Subcribe now and get JoJo’s free eBook, Communication Activities: Finding Time to Talk to Your Children is a Busy World.

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: Bible, scripture, The Lord, Titus 2

Decluttering Your Communication

March 19, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

In the same way that decluttering your house simplifies your life, decluttering your communication simplifies your message. While cleaning out your closets makes room for the important things you need to store, cleaning out unnecessary words and phrases allows more focus on your most important points and infuses it with power.

What is the clutter of communication? Weasel Words. Weasel Words are a dead giveaway that you are nervous or unsure of yourself. They devalue your leadership, curtail your effectiveness and destroy your credibility. Weasel Words come in three forms.

1. Unnecessary Words
When a person is nervious or unsure of what to say, they fill their conversation with unnecessary words like: “I’m gonna go ahead and,” “kind of/kinda” and “sort of/sorta.” This is done in an attempt to soften their language, appear less demanding or endear themselves to their listeners. What it really does is zap the power and energy out of the speakers integrity, leadership ability and conviction.

“I kind of wanted to talk to you about that.” You kind of wanted to or you did want to? ‘Cuz if you only kind of wanted to, I’ve got more important things to do right now.

2. Filler Words
Another nervous habit is to fill their conversation with nonwords that take up space and allow them time or the ability to keep control of the conversation until they can think of what else they wanted to say. These non words include: uh, er, like and ya know.

“I…uh…kind of…er…wanted to…like, ya know…talk to you…um…about that.” That’s tellin’ ’em!

3. Vague Words and Phrases
The last type of Weasel Words are those that couch what you say such that nobody can accuse you of being wrong (or even saying much of anything). If you’re afraid of being taken to the mat over a statistic, a quote or a truth, you will probably use words and phrases like: somewhat, most of the time, in most respects, I’ve heard, it’s been said, people/some say, it’s generally known, or it’s among the best. The idea is to be as noncomittal as possible in order to cover all your statistical bases.

“I think your child has somewhat of a problem with the truth.” You mean he lies?

Filling your conversation with unnecessary and vague words and phrases doesn’t soften your message, it confuses it. Adding filler words and vague phrases may allow you time to think, but it also allows your audience time to become frustrated. Using Weasel Words doesn’t endear you to your audience, it only prolongs the time they have to form a weak opinion of you and the point you were trying to make.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
To learn more about how to do this and other communication topics, receive free gifts and exclusive offers, subscribe to our newsletter! Subscribe now and get JoJo’s eBook, Communication Activities: Finding time to Communicate with Your Children in a Busy World.

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: communication, conversation, nervious, weasel words

Toxic Language

March 12, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

Have you ever had a time in your life where you were offended by something someone implied because of the words they used? I’d also be willing to bet that there was a time when you had occasion to go back and discuss the issue with that person and found that they hadn’t meant it the way it sounded. How did you feel about having been upset with them for no reason? Did you wish you had asked for clarification and avoided months or even years of ill-will? I’ll bet you did and I’ll bet others have felt the same way about something you once said or posted. Toxic language accuses, blames and convicts.

How can you detoxify your communication?
* Check your attitude
The first step in detoxifying your communication or your words is to check your attitude before you speak. Are you angry with someone right now? Make sure you don’t take it out on those around you. Take care not to spill your venom all over the innocent.

* Soften your voice
Whether you are upset, hurried, harried or just naturally gruff, make your voice soft and gentle. The Bible has a lot to say on this topic. Here are a few scriptures: ”Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6 “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

* Relax your face and smile
The saying “Notify your face” comes to mind. Some people don’t mean to look mean but they just don’t naturally go through life with a big fat grin on their face. Others are in a bad mood. Simply relaxing your face and smiling will help you soften your voice and help your attitude.

* Insert a smiley face in your email or Facebook
Those smiley faces ( ;-D ) are a great invention for email and social media. Use them! They help to soften the written word where our “listeners” cannot see our face, hear our tone of voice or see your sparkling eyes and gestures to help them evaluate the meaning behind our words. Use any characters at your disposal to soften and detoxify your words.

* Choose your words wisely
Finally, choose your words wisely. Avoid words that inflame: hate, always, never, stupid, idiot, etc.

“You never take me anywhere!”
“You always do this to me!”
“I hate that song!”

Words like “always” and “never” imply that the person does evil things on purpose or has never done anything good. If you search your heart, you’ll probably find that just isn’t true, but if you use those words, it will always inflame the other party. ;D

Our words can be toxic whether we intend for them to be or not. Unfortunately, the effect is the same either way. Our words can inflame, accuse, blame and convict. However, there is a way to detoxify our communication by checking our attitude at the door, softening our voice, relaxing our face, smiling and choosing our words wisely.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer. Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula. You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com. For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, please visit http://www.ArtofEloquence.com

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: Facebook, lanquage, social media, toxic

Take the time to communicate

March 5, 2012 by Art of Eloquence

It’s Phone Week! Saturday is the anniversary of the first telephone call so we are celebrating communication, the phone and technology this week here at the Communication FUNdamentals blog!

Today’s world is much more fast-paced than it was when I was a kid. I remember sitting on the porch with my friends, playing kickball in the street, gathering together on the corner to walk to the candy store and spend the afternoon. Now we rush from activity to activity…do not pass Go…do not collect $200!

We want to do so much in such a small amount of time so we rush through things and don’t really understand them. We read part of a comment on Facebook. We think of what we are going to make for dinner as we nod our head when Aunt Martha is sharing her heart. We type an email response while our son is asking us a question. Did we really hear him? Did we let his message get through?

So many times we don’t take the time needed to truly understand someone. In an effort to have our say (in under 10 seconds), we respond only to half of the comment based on our assumptions of what was said. We may have missed the person’s point entirely. Now the speaker feels as if he wasn’t worth the 10 extra seconds we didn’t grant him to fully understand. We put him in a position where he is faced with a decision to remain misunderstood or call us out, sometimes in public.

This habit of half-listening has been the cause of so many misunderstandings and damaged friendships. Let’s all vow to change that bad habit in 2012. Let’s make a commitment to take the time to fully read that post, listen to our friend, and understand his heart. Let’s resolve to take the time to support people in their time of need, let them know someone understands, build their confidence, help them prosper and lift them up. Finally, let’s make a decision to put the lessons we learn from the communication we take the time to hear/read into action in 2012. Apply the lessons we learn from God, from our friends, from the blog posts we read, from the articles and videos we watch so that their wisdom isn’t lost in our lives.

If you have a habit of not taking the time to really listen, read, comment, support or put the lessons learned into action, join with me in a vow to change that in 2012 so that our lives will prosper and we will be a light unto others. “If you’re not willing to take the time to communicate effectively in the first place, you’re doomed to clear it up in the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth places!” -JoJoism #200

If you liked this post, please subscribe to our RSS feed and share the link…

Share this:

Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: communicate, communication, FUNdamentals, telephone

How the Rich and Famous Spell Communication

How JoJoisms Spell Communication

Felix or Oscar?

Communication Lessons from Shakespeare-Revisited

If you build it and they come, then what?

Freshen Up Your Communication with Positive and Supportive Language

Fulfilling Titus 2:7-8

Decluttering Your Communication

Take the time to communicate

NEWEST From Art of Eloquence!

Subscribe to JoJo’s NEW Blog

Customer Comments

Recommended by HSLDA & TOS

Join us on Facebook

We take Visa, MasterCard & PayPal