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,...
“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...
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...
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? *...
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...
