I have come to realize how poor a communicator I have been in the past. How well I may think I have expressed a thought is always limited and I need to accept that fact. How well I think I have listened and understood is always going to be limited and I need to accept that fact. In my experience learning to communicate in these later years of my life has been a wonderful adventure. I find it enjoyable to converse with someone who is also willing and open to learning the craft of communications. It is at these times we connect, come to understand each other and find our differences may be gifts rather than obstacles.
“Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed, a little distorted, a little foolish.”
Hermann Hesse
2 Comments
Tom Dills
Written communication can be especially difficult, since without the benefit of verbal nuance and facial expression, it is easy to misinterpret words. I often suggest that the “voice” that I’m hearing in my own head as I write is not necessarily the voice that the reader will hear my words in. Although even in verbal communication we all struggle a bit in that way. As you say, it is an interesting learning experience!
Monte Stevens
Thanks, Tom. At my age I want to continue to learn and being a better communicator is one of them.