Communication and the Golden Rule

We have all heard the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  It’s a good rule and should be followed.  Basically treat people with the love and respect you would want from them.  In communicating with the world you cannot speak to everyone as you would have them speak to you. Everyday you encounter different people with different communication styles. The day I learned that people communicate differently than I do was eye-opening.

Some people are straight to the point and others love to tell stories. In the service and sales world understanding how your customers communicate is key to serving them well.

In your family it is also important to know how people communicate. Your spouse and each of your children may listen and understand differently.  The idea is not to treat them differently, it’s to treat them uniquely.  Take time to understand and study how your family communicates. Read up on different styles and take the time to learn your own. You may surprised how the world sees your communication styles.

We live in a world where communication is vital to our existence. With electronic communication playing a bigger role in our lives, face to face communication often suffers. We get less practice honing our skills because what used to be done face to face is done on a screen. However, the most important relationships in our personal and business lives happen face to face and voice to voice.

When it comes to the golden rule, I would appreciate people in my world taking the time to understand my communication style and I should do the same for them.

Until next time – listen well and speak wisely,
Joseph Cortez