Have you ever had arguments that boil down to people remembering the situation differently? They are fairly common but I especially dislike them because they always seem to end without resolution.
Who's to say who's right?
Sometimes it's just different impressions of the same experience. You might agree on the players and dialogue, but not on the tone or intention of the conversation.
Communication is an interesting minefield of missteps and triumphs. Especially now in this day and age, because let's face it — emoticons leave something to be desired. I can't for the life of me understand if I should read behind the words, or take them at face value. Sometimes you can ask, sometimes you'd rather not. Like I said — an interesting minefield and depending on the conversation partner, at times easier or harder to navigate.
I've found that I need three things to understand other people: 1) I have to remember that the world doesn't revolve around me; and 2) I have to know the sort of person (or the person period) that I'm talking to well; and, 3) I have to remember to always give people the benefit of the doubt.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, even though I know all this, I'm always stumbling over or missing one of those three things most of the time, which is why I can be a terrible communicator!
Nicely put. Those are excellent considerations.
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