I've asked this very question at countless seminars I've given. Most people say that communication is very important in their lives. However, when I ask if anyone ever took a communication class or studied communication skills or taught their children effective communication, I get one of three answers: 1. Oh, I'm not a politician or a lawyer so I don't really need to make speeches. But I thought you just said you thought communication skills were important for your every day life? Most people think of communication skills as speech or debate and equate these skills with things at which only lawyers and politicians need to be proficient. They suddenly forget why they answered yes and immediately go to the...
I'm often asked why communication skills are so important. I hear so many say things like: "After all, with cell phones, email and the internet we are the most connected society who ever lived."; "The only people who really need to learn effective communication are lawyers and politicians."; "Most people know what I mean." and "So I'm not Ronald Reagan!" Statistics show that 87% of what you and I do all day long is communication related. You communicate when you talk to friends, when you discipline your kids, when you share ideas at work, when you share your faith. I hear some of you out there though thinking, "What's so important? So I don't get along that well with Aunt...
My friend, Penny Raine, is having Favorite Friday Freebies on her blog. She is posting all the free and nearly free items she can find. Too cool, huh? She's asked others to help her find freebies. I have been offering freebies, gifts and special offers to my newsletter subscribers. These are all things that are ONLY available for my subscribers. Well, this month I have started to give away a series of articles on conflict. I have been giving away tips you can use to avoid conflicts or to resolve conflicts with family, friends and business acquaintances. These articles will eventually be compiled and turned into a book on conflict, but you can gain all the benefits of my experience...
One of the biggest communication mistakes we make is assuming that others have the same frame of reference for topics, terms and ideas as we do. This has always been a recipe for disastrous miscommunication, but in the Information Age where we communicate with so many different people from different cultures and backgrounds, it has become an even larger issue. First I'd like to give you a little history behind my asking the question, "Do you know what Mopar is?" Last Wednesday evening, my daughter, my husband and I were discussing how cars had changed over the years. My first car, Iggy (a 1974 Datsun 710 with the pea green paint peeling off its nearly bald head) had no power...
I wasn't aware, but I guess, family reunions are big this time of year. I just spent an amazing weekend with my sister and her family. Our families hadn't seen each other in a year since they helped us move to Arizona from California. I learned three vitally important lessons from being so far away from most of my family this past year. First, relationships cannot flourish without communication. You cannot develop, strengthen or grow a relationship without communicating with each other. You cannot let too much time go by without picking up the phone, typing out an email or writing a letter before you feel disconnected from your loved ones. Second, relationships are built much easier, faster and deeper...
