Lets Play Catch.
Posted by JDHcoaching | Posted in
Welcome to my blog, and my first posting!
The other day I was talking with clients, and as I took my first sip of coffee, she stated, "I'm so tired of his not paying attention to what I am saying. It's like I am talking to one of my kids. And you know, this isn't anything new." He rolled his eyes and replied, "She doesn’t stop talking. I can’t get a word in so I just don't say anything." "Well maybe if you would say something I wouldn't have to repeat myself." This snippet of conversation is indicative of what I hear on a daily basis.
We all, I think, are aware of the different styles of communication that exist between the sexes as there are numerous books addressing this stereotype; hence, no need for me to go there. However, what has struck me over the years of working with individuals and couples is just how unsuccessful we are in effective communication in general. Effective communication is comparable to playing catch, and it does take work.
NO… you won’t always have to climb a wall or two to communicate effectively! (Wow, what a catch!). However, you will think you are constantly climbing a wall, or trapped by them, if you don't.
So let's think about playing catch. We toss the ball with the intent of making it easy for the other to catch the ball, or in this case to catch the words. When we make an errant throw, we take ownership. When we drop the ball, we don't blame the other. However, we appear to lose sight of these rules of catch when we are communicating. There appear to be a number of reasons why this happens, and over the coming weeks we will explore these reasons. In the mean time, ask yourself...How am I throwing the ball? Am I actively trying to catch the ball? No curve balls, sliders, fastballs, or knuckle balls allowed! Until next time...ThinkSmart!
JDHcoaching.com
