There are lots of people with poor communication. I have often felt that I am carrying more than my share of the conversation.
Let’s be real here. Most people do not know how to communicate. They have an internal language they use and when they try to use it with others it just doesn’t work. People need to notice the words that others use and use the words that other people are using.
I’ll give you an example. I once had a friend who said that one of his friends, a girl wanted to meet me. I said sure and talked with her. It was like pulling teeth. Even though I asked open-ended questions I got the most basic and boring answers possible. I thought that perhaps he was pranking me with this woman’s interest but I was friendly and tried to speak to her as well as I could. When I talked to my friend he said that she is shy, but I wondered if she was shy because she couldn’t speak or couldn’t speak because she was shy. I think the former.
Now in the professional realm of business people also like to use slang and not clearly state what they are looking for. I see the biggest problem in people using vague terms like “it” or “you know”. No, I don’t know. Tell me specifically. I often ask for clarification from people just to make sure we are on the same page.
I think that poor communication is often what ruins many things. I have been in plenty of meetings where people talk and talk and nothing is said. When I point out the elephant in the room people are like “Finally we are getting to the real point here.” Communication is not the words you use, it is your intention.
I intend to learn information, act, or do something useful. Please don’t waste my time with empty words.