If you consider it, it’s amazing two or more people can communicate at all.
And the truth is we rarely do communicate well at work or home.
We can mitigate most workplace conflicts by applying a little more spirit and a little less ego.
Humans are hard-wired to be self-serving, but successful communication requires graciousness.
1.How to Be Gracious
The fastest way to achieve graciousness is to remember that the person you’re communicating with has inner tensions just like you.
They experience negative emotions like fear, anger, and guilt just like you. They have uncertainty about the future just like you.
Plato is often quoted saying, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a difficult battle.” He didn’t say it, but it’s still a good dictum.
Life is often challenging. Most of us have inner and outer turmoil. Or, as bestselling novelist Andy Andrews says, we’re either in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or heading for a crisis.
2.Begin in a friendly way.
Whenever possible, start your conversations with praise and honest communication. Smile. A genuine smile helps people relax. (It will elevate your mood too.)
Be inviting and open instead of serious and demanding. To accomplish this, we must first be friendly toward ourselves.
3.Give honest and sincere appreciation.
How often do you offer genuine appreciation to your colleagues versus the times you criticize and condemn them (even if you don’t say it out loud)?
It takes training to show appreciation. Research reveals that our brains have a bias towards negativity. It reacts more strongly to negative stimuli than it does to positive stimuli. We tend to look at what’s wrong with people, ideas, and situations.
4.Become genuinely interested in others.
Interest starts with curiosity. If we’re all self-interested, how can you be curious about others? Realize that everyone you meet is a reflection of yourself. We are mirrors for each other.
