10 Ways - Which Will You Choose?
Sugar and spice...that's what girls are made of, right?
My closest coworkers, friends, and family might tell you a little differently.
I’ve had to learn how to convey my thoughts, opinions, and feelings in a way that isn’t abrasive, and along the way, I failed many times - most often with the people who matter most.
What they may or may not be able to tell you is that those things were said to them only because I cared enough to say them... but I lacked the clarity of mind to not only process what I was thinking and feeling, but also to understand what the impact of my words would be.
Many times, what I wanted to ultimately communicate was hidden beneath the white noise of anger, hurt, or frustration. Instead of producing results and instigating productive conversations, I spurred retaliative emotions and defensiveness.
I recently read a saying that goes something like this:
There are at least ten different ways to say anything.
Communicating in an office environment is only slightly different than communicating with family or friends.
The closer you work with someone, the more easily you can offend and be offended.
The more invested you become in your job and business, the more likely you will be to have strong opinions and emotions about the way work is handled, coworkers' work ethics, as well as personal conversations that occur between employees.
I’ve learned to take a few extra minutes (and then a few more, if need be!) to process exactly what I’m thinking and feeling, and then determine what exactly I want to convey. Expressing anger and frustration may feel good in the moment, but never achieve the desired effect.
One of my biggest struggles has been my unwavering dedication to honesty. For some reason, it feels like “sugarcoating” what I’m saying means that I’m somehow being misleading.
But I’ve learned that speaking out with boldness that is rooted in compassion and dedication to a job well done always produces better results than hasty words rooted in negativity.