Thinking Out Loud

Change is tricky business, especially when it comes to relationships. First, there’s a challenge involved—acceptance, which is about a sober recognition of the way things really are. Acceptance is not acquiescence, but it is a starting point for “real” change. Without acceptance we tend to watch and wait for the other person to do the changing, and when they don’t it fuels our inclination to blame them . . . and blame, of course, does not encourage collaboration toward solutions or resolution. Read More

Lloyd is CEO of a small manufacturing company. He’s a master at figuring out systems to organize efficient processes. He loves the challenge—deciding on the best outcome and then analyzing tasks to achieve the goal. The employees respect Lloyd’s knowledge and intelligence, his work ethic, and commitment to the employees and the company. Read More

Because I have such a strong interpersonal component to my communication style, thinking out loud frequently, I have to remind myself to take time for reflection (intrapersonal). Those of us who are strongly interpersonal often need to seek this kind of balance. Engaging with others to sort out thoughts and feelings and benefiting from the collective feels natural and is easy, yet balance is important and taking time for personal reflection really does pay off. Read More

Why is interpersonal communication often so confounding, demanding, and just plain hard? From the communication styles perspective that’s easy to answer because when you are accounting for all seven communication components of both individuals there’s a lot going on—words, tone of voice, reasoning, images, feelings, internal awareness, and more. Read More