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WHAT TO THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Plus a step by step guide on how to improve thoughtful communication.
Writing this for a friend.
Have you ever been in conversation with someone you love/respect, who wanted to give you advice so badly, they just started telling you everything they could think of in hopes that something would stick?
Maybe this person is a close friend or acquaintance. Maybe they’re a family member. Regardless, navigating a situation where someone who clearly cares about you demonstrates an inability to meet you where you are in your time of need (or perceived need) can be a difficult thing. In the heat of the moment, if we’re not careful, we may give in to our emotions toward the person giving us poor advice. And that might mean we get frustrated and take steps to create distance, or perhaps we simply follow the advice out of some sort of emotional sense of obligation. I honestly don’t know which is worse.
Let’s sit here and unpack this for a second. In the above scenario, we see someone who emotionally is invested in your life, struggling to deliver intelligible advice because at the end of the day an emotional investment is hardly a suitable substitute for expertise on relevant subject matter. And don’t get me wrong — it’s not that this person has nothing to offer because they don’t…
