How you say what you’ve got to say can either help you connect with people or destroy the connection. The way you communicate has an impact on the tone of the environment that you are in. Communicating in a tone that triggers people to react out of fear/anger/hurt doesn’t bring a good outcome or help you get your message through. Yes! the tone you use to say something matters and influences people’s perception of you.
The way you communicate
To speak one’s mind effectively, one doesn’t need to be rude or insensitive to others. Instead of pushing people away with your way of expressing something, you can get people to listen to your message and connect with you by putting across your message not just firmly, but also respectfully.
It’s unnecessary to hold back your opinions and please people all the time. But when you let people know your point of view, be conscious of how you communicate it. Pushing your opinion on people has no positive influence, instead having a respectful and welcoming tone gets people to show interest in the conversation and respond positively.
The tone
Your ‘tone’ in communicating with others is a powerful element that can create and nurture relationships when used wisely or hurt and destroy relationships when used without focusing on how you say things. Your tone of voice could make you sound arrogant, humble, rude, kind, harsh, or gentle.
It’s the way you speak more than what you say that makes a difference in how people perceive your attitude. To get the other person to receive a message the way you intended, you need to craft your message in a way the person understands and does not misunderstand. The way you say it can make things easier or disastrous.
Pointing out
Constantly pointing out people’s faults doesn’t help you see the reality of situations or circumstances. Although it is easy to share your judgment, using productive ways of sharing what bothers you keeps you from ruining the conversation and the connection.
If you can get defensive when it comes to recommendations for your way of dealing with life, situations, or people, remember that it is essential for you to be mindful of your way of letting people know what’s not okay.
Assumptions
Unless you know the facts, judging based on your assumptions could lead you to filter people with your lens and measure them with your yardstick without knowing the depth of a situation. It takes speaking as well as listening to communicate effectively and not just to express what you perceive.
Before assuming that someone is right or wrong, good or bad, take a moment to think about what could happen, if what you assumed is not the reality of the situation. Regretting a wrong judgment can’t build a broken connection. Responding with patience and taking time to hear the other side of a story helps one to reach a conclusion that doesn’t bring regrets or resentment.
Sensitivity
There is a time for talking and there is also a time for listening in a conversation. At times before concluding something is right or wrong, understanding the sensitivity of a topic and dealing accordingly by making the atmosphere safe and comfortable is crucial for fruitful communication.
Although it is okay to differ in our opinions and beliefs, rather than expressing ourselves in disastrous ways, learning to be mindful as we communicate, keeps us from encountering uncomfortable consequences.
Working on our communication skills regularly and taking time for self-reflection helps us communicate better, foster our connections, and encounter challenges constructively and productively.
How do you manage to communicate without offending people in daily life?
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So true! These are the things to watched out while communicating with people. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad you agree on the importance of working on communication skills. Effective communication enhances our personal and professional interactions.
Tone and assuming things can ruin relationships. These are all great points and I agree with them all. Being respectful during conversations is very important, it can prevent unnecessary and unintended conflict. Setting boundaries, knowing when to speak and when not, are also important. Good communication is a skill, needs to be practiced.
Thank you for your comment on the significance of honing our communication skills.