Mar
11

Written by Dr. Dorothy Martin-Neville

Conversations can seem like the simplest of things yet in reality they are such an indicator of so much more. I receive this wonderful newsletter, Admired Leadership-Field Notes. It is truly inspirational in the world of leadership. However, at times, their messages are universal. Today’s conversation had me thinking of so many things.

The fact that it came after an in-depth conversation with a client over her inabilities to understand all the dynamics that take place in one “simple” relationship caused it to hit home. Have you ever had a conversation and heard later that what you said had absolutely nothing to do with what they heard? 

In my last book, Real Women Change the World: Letting the Good Girl Die so the Real Woman Can Live, I have a whole chapter on communication. Points I covered are — saying in 500 words what can be said in 10. Whining rather than speaking, blaming rather than questioning, and so on. It is so important to know that people hear your tone far more than your words. People read your face far more than your message. Consistently, speaking with respect to a peer (which is pretty much everyone on the planet) works far more than speaking down to or tolerating someone you consider less intelligent, developed, or awakened.