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Or I can be connected. It is difficult to be both.
In the world we find ourselves in today it seems as
if people just want to be right. They rant and rave from behind their keyboards mistaking volume (loudness) and volume (number of words) for persuasion. The
internet is the master class on using innuendo, sharp words, and anger in our
writing. The comment sections of almost every place (Next Door, Facebook, Washington
post) are filled with this kind of communication. It often seems that the point
isn’t to persuade but to bully, tear down, or just pour my vitriol all over
whoever is reading.
But what is the point? If you are trying to persuade
yelling your opinion at someone won’t do it. If you want to let everyone know
you are angry, why not just say that instead of tearing someone else down?
It seems to me that the point of communication is to
tell others our point of view, to connect, and to persuade. Yelling, calling
people names, villainizing, and using cutting invective will almost never do any of
those things. As a matter of fact, it will guarantee the exact opposite in most
cases. And the worst case it will harden my position into an intractable point
of view. At that point, we are not connected but we are both right (in our
opinions).
The way to connect is to listen, seek to
understand, and then to communicate in a way the other person can hear. None of
us like to be yelled at…in person or on paper.
We can all do better. And if we all do better, we can
stay connected. And when we are connected, we can get things done.
John Mariotti
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412
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