Getting at What Matters

AA wrote: Klok, den där P.Underwod S.!
BB wrote:Loved this dearly, Sabina. My family has grown tired I'm sure of my commenting constantly on how difficult communication is. It's truly astonishing. The quote is gorgeous and I just shared it with friends in Facebook. Thank you! 

Getting at What Matters

If you want to be truly understood, you need to say everything three times, in three different ways. Once for each ear… and once for the heart.                                                                                                                            Paula Underwood Spencer

Communication is not an easy thing, not even with our close ones. Misunderstandings seem to lurch behind every single word or phrase and are often the root of all kind of conflicts, from small and easy-to-sort-out to life-changing ones. Communication is key in all human relationships, and more than worthwhile to deal with carefully.

Today, much of our communication happens via written messages: we text, send e-mails or WhatsApp notes. Unfortunately, that makes the risk of misunderstanding even bigger: there are no gestures, tones of voice, facial expressions or other forms of body language to complete your words - and there’s no possibility to straighten out question marks right away. 

The advice is to deal with demanding issues face to face and, as Paula Underwood suggests, to repeat your important message often and carefully enough so that it really comes through. Once for each ear, and once for the heart. From your heart to the listener’s heart.