In the last post, we discussed Mindful Listening and learned how to be truly present in our face-to-face conversations.
This is extremely important when communicating digitally, as well.
In our fast-past world, it’s easy to:
Overlook something: There is too much data, and we just scan.
Become negative: When our flight/flight response is engaged, we tend to be negative and look for threats.
Misinterpret: Switching tasks causes us to lose focus and context.
I’ll share an embarrassing but funny story with you.
When my Dad started online dating, my sister and I were helping him to find matches and set up dates. In one situation (which happened to be the last time I played cupid), a nice lady was posting about looking for “a kind, Polish man,” and I thought this was perfect as my Dad is extremely proud of his Czech/Polish heritage.
He loved sharing stories about his Mom making dumplings, his family’s impeccable work ethic, and the fact that he was the first generation without an accent.
At the time, I thought the way she posted was adorable, and I knew they would be a perfect match. So, I crafted a sweet response to her post, hoping to set up a date for him.
Her response, “I’m not sure if you are trying to be funny, but I’m looking for a man who is polished, sophisticated, elegant… not a small-town, Polish/Czech, Nebraska farm boy.”
Have you ever noticed “Polish” and “polish” are spelled the same way? I do, now.
Basically, don’t play cupid (or do any job) when you’re riding the subway to work and listening to a podcast.
Multitasking doesn’t work with in-person conversations or over digital communication.
If you want to learn more, sign up for my next program to increase your productivity by forever changing the way you communicate. (Also, you will learn how we create neurotransmitters that help us connect with others.)