Interpersonal Communications
Interpersonal Communication Skills - L Is For...
We are launching a series about communication that focuses on family interaction, rather than on workplace dynamics...
Of course, many tips and guidelines that help you develop family relationships can be carried over to the workplace environment. Learning to get along with the most important people in your life can help you get along with others, most of whom don’t play a major role. We have so many communication ideas and so much relationship advice that once again we are starting an alphabetical series. However, we don’t promise to handle the letters in strict alphabetical order, nor even to do all of them.
L is for learn. Life is a series of learning experiences. Supposedly we learn from our mistakes and don’t make the same ones twice, or at least don’t make the same ones often. When you have more or less finished with a given family situation why not draw up a list of what you learned from that experience? This list should include both what you did right and what you did wrong. Don’t make the mistake of leaving the second category empty. Take a serious look at the list and learn from both the positive and negative aspects.
A Chance To Learn, Time For Class in a Refugee Camp by Gerald Martone.
And now for some of the things you want to avoid.
L is for label. You should not label people or their behavior. Labeling in effect says the situation is so simple that I don’t need to know the details, I can dismiss your whole case with a word or two. I think you can come up with a label for such a way of dealing with problems. And it won’t be positive.
Decca Records, once a famous record label.
L is for lackadaisical. While it’s true that you should not treat every little problem as a major crisis; don’t just dismiss the problem with a wave of the hand. Little problems grow into big ones. If you wait too long to draw the line you may not be able to maintain your authority. I am a fan of homework in the early grades. I don’t see anything wrong with telling even a young child, “You have to finish your homework before you can see your favorite TV show.” The child learns to make choices and learns that actions or lack thereof have consequences. We don’t get everything we want in this world. If the homework assignment is completely out of line for the child’s age group don’t be lackadaisical in raising the issue with the teacher.