School Days

For me, school was one great big social event. There were people to talk to, events to go to, and lots of friends. After all wasn't that what I was there for. I looked forward to talking to those that sat near me - actually anyone. As I look back over my report cards there was one constant comment from the teachers EVERY YEAR, "Carol talks too much." - "Carol cannot stay in her seat." - "Carol cannot keep quiet." Moving my seat did not make any difference even when moved to the front of the class beside the teacher's desk. Once I was moved out into the hall. Now that was actually painful to me - no one to talk to. How about you? Did you have lots of friends or just a select few? Did you throw up you hand to answer the teacher's questions (even if you didn't know the answer) or did you know the answer but still kept silent? Were you the extroverted or introverted child? How do you remember your school days?

The 3 "U"s (YOU) of Communication

Talking is not communicating.  There must be a speaker, a listener, and an understanding between them. So often I hear, "They just don't understand!" While understanding is the key, we are all different and unique.  You must:
Understand Yourself
Understand Others
Understand the Unique Differences
Our personalities are probably different from each other. I may prefer to communicate by talking, you may prefer to communicate in writing. I may be imaginative, you may be factual. I may speak in overviews, you may need details. I might ask for a decision now, you may need time to mentally process. Once I understand my personality type and understand your personality type, I can then communicate to you in a way that you can understand my meaning. Differences are not wrong....they are just different. It's understanding the differences that will make you and me become better at communicating.