Communication Skills

Avoid arguments by following one simple rule

Yesterday, I decided to organize a little basket I have near my front door for mail that’s not quite junk mail and not quite bills. It’s stuff I might want to look at if I have time: cheap auto insurance. Coupons for local restaurants. A marketing flyer from a local contractor that was stuck in [...]

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Stop Making Assumptions

Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life. —Miguel Angel Ruiz, The Four Agreements One of the biggest detriments to good communication [...]

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Turned a Cheek Lately?

With the Christmas holiday just around the corner, I’ve been thinking about the meaning of Christmas and the peace and love that Jesus and other spiritual leaders taught. Every so often, I hear how someone is confused by the scripture that says people should turn the other cheek. Jesus said, “If anyone strikes you on [...]

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Observing or Evaluating–What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter?

To observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence. ~J. Krishnamurti Unless we’re gazing in a mirror all day or are otherwise preoccupied with ourselves, most of us do a lot of evaluating, particularly when it comes to friends, neighbors, and family members. But how often do we simply observe? When we see someone [...]

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Who Do You Think You’re Talking To? 7 Tips for Better Conversations

Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people. —William Butler Yeats In first-year college writing classes—and probably high school, too—students are instructed to write for “a general audience”: the average, intelligent, half-decently-well-read adult who may or may not know anything about the subject. The goal is to help students develop [...]

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