Tag: communication

Will Anyone Want To Read What You Write?

Raise your words not your voice. It’s rain that grows flowers not thunder ~Rumi

With exclamation signs and all the teacher sent an email titled “Important! Please read!” Parents rolled their eyes. Who wants to read a lengthy email captioned like that? The essence of what she wrote was students folders were sent home with report cards. Why not just say that? What parent isn’t interested in his/her child’s performance?

Corporate Communication

It’s the same with communication sent to employees by supervisors and managers. That’s essentially what  Aaron Orendorff   discussed in his insightful New York Times article Your Colleagues don’t read anything you write.

Simply say what you mean. No need to shout. It’s what Rumi’s quote alluded to Raise your words not your voice. It’s rain that grows flowers not thunder. 

3 Communication Gems

Personally, I walked away with three gems:

  1. Put action words in your subject line
  2. Listen more. Talk less
  3. Don’t answer. Ask

Often it’s not what we say but how. So check your manner, tone, words and how you speak. Chances are your tone precedes your voice. Something to think about.

Cheers!

Silence…

Be silent, or say something better than silence. Pythagoras

My three-year-old nephew was playing hide and seek with the other boys when one of the boys came over to hide near where I was sitting. He started giggling. I told him not to because it’s a secret. Maybe that was his first time being exposed to the word because he started shouting secret! Secret! It was hilarious!

Think Before You Speak

But what about us? Do we do the same in our daily lives, jobs, business or entrepreneurship endeavors? Do we publicize or quietly share what others tell us in secret? Do we know when to speak and when to be silent? Do we know what to to share and when to share it? Communication is key to relationships and knowing the right time to speak is even more important.

Many are the secrets that have been espoused that have destroyed organizations, relationships and families. Remember speech is silver, silence is golden.

Let’s make it a habit to think before we speak.

Cheers!

Listen Leaders, Listen…

If you only listen to one side, I’ll never tell you the other unless you talk to me. ~Dr.Shelly Cameron

No Doubt You Can Relate To This…

CNN Headline News revealed the list of the top 4 most annoying words from a study done.

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.

Remember the saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me? Not true. Words do hurt, sometimes even more than physical pain.

CNN Headline News revealed the list of the top 4 most annoying words from a study done.

Top 4 Most Annoying Words

1. Whatever

2. Fake news

3. No offense

4. Literally

5. You know what I mean

When someone says ‘whatever‘ it means they are dismissing you or whatever you have said, and they can’t be bothered.

Whenever they say “no offense” it means they are about to offend you.

It’s often said “don’t take this literally”.  Chances are… it is literal (smile).

“You know what I mean”… most often we don’t know what they mean

So if you can Relate and  find yourself saying these words or some others, remember they hurt. Resolve to think before you speak (you know what I mean, right)? Hey no pun intended (smile).

Cheers!