I was innocent

But things weren't looking great for me.

She gave me one last shot...

“Look me straight in the eyes and tell me you’re not lying.“

I did but I just couldn’t keep a straight face.

“It’s not that I’m lying, it’s just that I’m not very good at telling the truth.”

These were the wise words I chose to tell my mum at age 6.

What I meant was: I look guilty even when I’m telling the truth.

What she heard: My son has a compulsive lying problem.

This is but one example of how easily communication can go wrong.

And while this only resulted in me having to do extra chores around the house.

In other situations, the consequences can be much worse.

One thing I discovered recently is that there are 4 levels of communication:

1) There’s what we want to say
2) There’s what we actually say
3) There’s what the other person hears
4) There’s how the other person interprets what they hear

That’s 4 levels of the telephone game where something can be completely misinterpreted.

And with Holiday Season creeping up and family gatherings becoming more frequent.

This might be a good thing to be aware of given the amount of conversations we’ll be in.

So next time your Aunt gets worked up over something you said.

Or you get annoyed at a comment from your Brother in Law.

Be curious... ask them what they meant specifically… or what they heard you say...

This might not change anything.

But in some cases, it might save you from a big family argument.

And maybe this year you won’t be sent up to your room and to think about what you’ve done.

When’s the last time someone completely misinterpreted something you said?



#communication #lying #personaldevelopment #motivation #whatinspiresme