Do you feel as though your team have come to a halt at the moment and you feel communication or understanding is preventing you from achieving your objectives? A lot of life’s challenges or conflicts come down to one factor…..communicating well.
Your words have power whether you mean them to or not. How many times do we hear ourselves say “but that’s not what I meant” or worse, someone stops talking to us all together because we didn’t effectively communicate? Projects can come to a crashing halt as communication gets in the way of reaching the objectives. Working in teams it is more difficult as personality types also react in different ways.
Are the words you speak conscious or subconscious?
Words we speak tell others far more about ourselves than whom or what we are talking about. If our conversation is subconscious because talking or communicating is second nature… like riding a bike or driving a car… then we don’t need to think about it, do we? Or do we?
Our brains are hard-wired to remember the negative before the positive; this is for survival and to keep us safe. Our subconscious brain is constantly giving us negative thoughts to keep us away from danger and these thoughts are sent to the thalamus part of the brain which also processes sounds, smells, tastes, images and touch. It therefore doesn’t distinguish between inner and outer realities. Our thoughts become a reality and shows in our language. If we want a positive outcome when we speak to others, then we need to be aware that we are hardwired to be negative. The simple word NO can substantially increase activity in your amygdala and release dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters.
So does that mean it’s not our fault that we communicate badly?
That’s possibly taking it too far because we have the power to change our thoughts. We can train our brain to have more positive thoughts, it’s just a little harder. Compassionate communication is the art of conversation strategies, used to highlight empathy and build trust and resolve conflict.
Here are 7 examples of strategies of Compassionate Communication;
1. Relax
2. Stay present
3. Increase positivity
4. Observe nonverbal cues
5. Express appreciation
6. Speak warmly and slowly
7. Listen deeply
Thoughts do become real … our language-based thoughts shape our consciousness, and our consciousness shapes the reality we perceive. So choose your words wisely, because they become as real as the ground you stand on!
If your team has come to a halt and you feel communication or understanding is preventing you from achieving your objectives then book a coffee and a chat with Rachel or if you are ready to make a change now then sign up for your free trial today and explore a data-driven platform for yourself designed to unlock the potential of people and teams in order for you to achieve your objectives: https://giant.tv/diamond