This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
When communication fails us
I debated blogging about this yesterday, but was feeling very emotional (which is a bad place from which to write a blog sometimes!) and late in starting my work anyway.
I woke up to a discussion yesterday morning with Leo, which ended up frustrating me. In thinking about what we talked about throughout the day, it was the fact that he presented some possible information that might benefit me (key word being might) but that in the moment neither of us could verify whether or not that was true. It was to do with my health, so I said I would check back at my next appointment next week.
This ‘unknowing’ (for lack of a better description) led me to be in a very uncomfortable place throughout the day. Luckily, I had a scheduled call with my coach and was able to let all of my pent up emotions go, as well as try and uncover the source. While I can only hypothesize as to where this particular fear came from, I did learn some valuable lessons from the experience:
- Always verify data. If someone you are speaking or having an argument with presents some information, before reacting, consider whether this could be true. If you do not know for sure, try to find out. This can be respectful to both them and their ideas and our own.
- Listen. Part of the frustration in our conversation came from neither of us really listening to each other and trying to battle it out with our opinions. If we listen to the point one is making, we can respond with supporting or contrasting data, instead of rebuttals in haste or with emotion.
