Communication is so tricky – it has to go through many steps. Even the simplest phone conversation may have a lot of components:
- My thoughts (Perhaps I’m picturing my very sweet little black dog rolling on her back in the grass in Prospect Park, in Brooklyn.)
- My words (So I say to you, “My dog is in the park.”) (am I saying what I mean?)
Then it goes through the air or over the wires up to the satellites and back on the phone:
- To your ears (you may or may not have heard me correctly)
- To your brain (maybe you’re picturing a snarling, barking dog who has a chain collar on the leash in a tiny concrete park)
See what I mean? We both heard the same words, “My dog is in the park” but we pictured very different dogs and very different parks! There are so many places for misunderstanding!
We all have shorthand for communication – especially with our loved ones. But does that mean we are assuming things they might not be considering? So how do we be more precise about our language to say what we mean? Do we check in with our loved ones to see if we really understand what they mean?
We can’t stop for every little thing, but maybe it’s a good idea to do it once in a while, so we don’t end up like this:
