Fast Results through Powerful Communication
With this year being a Presidential election year here in the United States, more and more people are following the issues and the political process, which I think is a good thing. But as a result of this, many people are sharing their thoughts and opinions on particular issues, which is within their rights. The big question is whether it’s the smart thing to do.
If you’ve ever had a bad habit or some type of behavior you’ve wanted to change, you know that it’s not easy. But what I’ve found from both personal experience and from talking to others is that making the change isn’t the hardest part – it’s convincing the people around you that you’re trying to change and blocking out their negative feedback.
None of us like the feeling of being rejected but it’s even more difficult to swallow when something like friendship, which has a relatively low social risk, is rejected. With much of our social interactions moving on-line and the anonymity of the internet, this type of rejection is becoming especially common. But it being common doesn’t necessarily lower the impact it has on our self-esteem.
I once overheard a conversation where someone was communicating negative feedback. The only thing was the person giving the feedback allegedly wasn’t the one who felt that way – he had overheard someone else and wanted to share the criticism with the person it was directed towards. The person who received the feedback, which was a bit on the harsh side, replied back with “she’s my friend, she’d never say something like that about me or anyone else.”
I’ve had a lot of fun the last week or so with some of the dialogues I’ve had on this blog, via email and the various social networks. I’ve also been enlightened, shocked and learned a few things. So to wrap up this topic so I can move on to the finer points of other areas of communication and personal development, I want to provide you with my final thoughts on Toastmasters along with a brief history of my involvement with this great organization.
Why I joined: