What kind of communication habits and practices bug you?
I’ve got a list, but it’s distilled down to:
- People not saying what they mean. I feel ungrounded when I sense that I need to read between the lines to figure out their meaning.
- People not walking their talk. I don’t like it when I can’t count on people to do what they say they will.
- People making personal attacks or speaking in a way that diminishes me or others.
Those are my communication pet peeves. What are yours?
The next step is to take those pet peeves and flip them to identify what communication habits and practices you value.
Can you guess where this is going? For me, it’s saying what you mean and meaning what you say – without being mean when you say it. What is it for you? Having a clear direction to aspire to in your communication draws out the best in you.