Communication Pace Helps Curb Conflict
Do you know someone who is a little bit witty? Do you occasionally pop off a good one-liner? Have you ever had a slip of the tongue in the workplace? Communication pace may be what you need to consider.
Whether it is with serious intent in the meeting, with anger when expectations aren’t met, or as a playful joke, what you say can have lasting consequences.
I’ve said a few things I wish I hadn’t. I’ve also messed up a word or two here or there. In some rare cases, I may have even used a word that doesn’t exist.
Often it is the pace of our communication that gets us in trouble. The pressure to deliver now, on the spot, in the moment creates more risk for a big mistake.
Slowing down helps.
Communication Pace
When you stop trying to finish people’s sentences. When you exchange the statement you want to blurt out into a question, or when you refrain from being the class clown, your results improve.
Finishing sentences is often positions you as an egotistical know it all.
Rushed statements with a commanding voice invoke fear or anger.
Being the clown or having a joke for every moment means others won’t take you seriously when you have something valuable and important to offer.
Slow It Down
Removing words you’ve spoken is like a bad tattoo. Not everyone will see it, but those who do aren’t quick to forget it.
Perhaps some patience will help. Slow down a little. Consider the consequences and consider how you might feel if you were the recipient.
Second chances are valuable but they don’t always wash away what happened first.
-DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
