Somewhere we lost our ability to communicate. Communication is “a process whereby information is exchanged between individuals.” We are in the front end of a life changing economic cycle. People are out of work,
A War of Words Solves Nothing
personal wealth is being decimated, housing defaults continue to climb, and small businesses everywhere are closing their doors. It is time for all of us to come together. To get through this we have to start working together.
This cannot happen when the first act in the today’s communication play is to declare who is right, who is wrong and who is to blame. This does not, has not, and will not fix anything. Solving problems require open and free exchange of ideas and information. It requires a collaborative effort to find common ground, create a common vision, and begin working on implementing solutions.
I have several trusted friends who are polar opposites to me in the political spectrum. If we sat down and discussed our perspectives on what we believe about right, wrong, and blame, we would not agree on anything. I also know that if we sat down and talked about the challenges we all face and started to talk about collectively fixing the problem, we would find common ground. Fixing the problem becomes our discourse and our purpose because we created for ourselves a mutual cause.
Next time you find yourself, our your friends on their soapbox, change the direction of the conversation. Focus on the problems, challenges, and issues that we all face and find a cause that you agree on as critical. Avoid talking solution from your opinions. Think solution for what the outcome needs to be. Then, work on building a consensus from there. Listen to the ideas, receive them, exchange information, and find ways to agree.
The time to set a new standard for communication behaviors in this country is now. And, that starts with every single individual setting a new standard, not accepting today’s woefully, ineffective communication behaviors.
photo credit: ET’s Photo Home
