Communication

by Cambridge C. Consultant

To paraphrase the Grinch who stole Christmas from the Who’s in
Whoville, as he “stuck his head out the fireplace flue,” at the first little house on the square…” “[Communication]…. [is] the first thing to go”

In any relationship there is contact one with another. This is true in our personal as well as our business lives. This communiqué’ takes written or verbal form. One of the signs that there is a problem with the association is that the frequency of interaction tends to slow down or may even stop altogether. When phone calls go unturned, when someone appears to be avoiding us or even when emails are ignored, the likelihood that there is a cause for concern goes up.

This is helpful information for each of us as we go throughout our lives. When we notice the regularity of dealings with another person getting scarcer, if we examine the last time we dealt with that person we can generally find the root cause. When we come to this realization it gives us the opportunity to do something about it. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to communication.

We can also prevent the thought in someone else’s mind about us by examining this idea in our own lives and our interactions with others. If we are deliberately avoiding someone, what message is that sending to him? We are telling him that we are not interested. We are telling him that for whatever reason the relationship is not on firm ground.

Let us avoid being accused of ignoring someone else and let us find out what is bothering her when we notice the frequency of communication shortening. Let us take the responsibility for the relationships in our lives, both personal and business. As we do, we will not wonder what happened. We can deal with the problems as they arise and not let them fester and get bigger and bigger and perhaps out of control and possibly beyond repair.

Examine the important personal and business relationships in your life. Look at the last time you spent time with each person. Decide whether there is a cause for concern. If there is, then you can do something about it. Scrutinize your role. Take responsibility for your actions and your communications.

As always, your thoughts would be appreciated.