Tuesday; December 9
For people
who spend so much time trying to communicate, there are times we don’t do a
very good job of it. Typically, when we
don’t accomplish our goal, it has more to do with the reception than the
execution. I think that one of the
challenges to communication is when we listen to the words, rather than the
intent. Now, you might be saying that
that’s what we should be doing, right?
Well, not necessarily. While we’d
like to think that people do an effective job of saying what they mean, often
times the words don’t accurately reflect what they are trying to explain. Additionally, when it comes to us listening
to the meaning we can be guilty of getting sidetracked by our own
emotions. It is easy to get so wrapped
up in wondering “What did they mean by that?” or criticizing, “That isn’t
exactly correct.” and miss the point of the conversation.
The study of communication has gotten
a lot of attention recently, but it’s been a topic of discussion for
centuries. In fact, an early Christian
writer challenged us to use a holistic approach to communication when he wrote,
“This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone
must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the
anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20).
Let’s take pride in being effective
communicators. Let’s listen with our
ears, our heart and our mind. When we do
this, our lives will be better and their messages will become clearer.
Think About It!