Thinking Out Loud

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

Each workday afternoon at around 4:10 Joan begins straightening up her desk, putting files and objects where they belong, hesitating now and then as she holds or looks through some papers. Overall, she moves energetically and seems very purposeful and cheerful as she edges toward quitting time at 4:30. Read More

In third grade, I helped a kid who always got into trouble. I befriended him and coached him in how to get along with the teacher. I used eye contact, smiles, and directives about what to say and what not to say and told him when to apologize. This was an eight-year-old’s version of helping people get along better. Over the years I’ve gained more sophistication and communication skills but some of my early instincts still apply. Read More