Kate's Voice

I’ve been traveling this week and keeping the voice journal going has been a bit of a challenge.  Nevertheless, here I am.  Today I was reminded of the difference between personal expression and conversation.    You see, Most of our verbal communication is meaningless noise.  We speak without thinking, we add verbal filler to our thoughts, and we pontificate our personal ideas rather than exchange them with others.  Then, we wonder why our relationships are a mess and why we can’t get others to listen to us.  Well, there is a difference between personal expression and conversation.  Personal expression does not necessarily require a response from others. Conversation is a kind of exchange and, as such, requires a response.  When it comes to your voice, both are important, but most people get the two confused. For example in conflict, we orate. When expressing a point of view, we need too much consent from the audience.  When negotiating we assume agreement when we don’t have it.  We say we invite learning but we leave no opening for the other’s individual expression.  We talk too much and don’t listen enough in groups.  We wait for consent and ask for agreement when there is none.

• Personal expression is a solo act and does not require a response.

• Dialog is a two way street and requires a response as well as listening on everyone’s part.

Pay attention to your conversations this week and see if you can tell the difference and make choices that support both

<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

Trackback URI | Comments RSS