Life is hard – plain and simple – it is just hard. It is harder when people don’t communicate clearly with each other, and instead assume that others know what they know, and expect others to know what they want without telling them.
Covid has made everything more confusing. Things that would be difficult in a year with no pandemic are now fraught with even more peril, as it is not possible to safely get together and speak face to face. Communications by email or text can end up sounding like they were not meant to; people make assumptions without clarifying, and all of a sudden people are mad at other people for what they may have perceived as a slight, when that was not the intent at all.
It is incumbent on us all to be clear in our communications. This would be a better world if we all re-read what we are going to send, with an eye to clearing up misunderstandings before they start. And you know what they say about making assumptions – let’s just not go there.
Sometimes people try to say something indirectly, in the hope that they don’t hurt someone. However, it is my experience that being less than direct usually causes more problems, not fewer. If someone asks you what you want, and you want A, but don’t say so, when someone gives you B, as far as I am concerned, you have lost your right to be upset at what you got. If you are not clear, they have no way of knowing what you want.
I would urge us all to be clear in our communications, so that no one has to guess what we are trying to say. Let’s just not give anyone the option to misunderstand us.
Leave a Reply