Very few of us consider our tone when speaking to others. Have you ever found yourself tuning someone out do to the tone of their words? We can have a good message, but if the delivery is offsetting the message often gets lost. People will tune out when they feel disrespected & disregarded.
We can't expect others to be receptive to us if we are harsh and condescending. Not only does it show a lack of respect, it often causes others to block out anything being said. I heard a well known speaker once say how bad it is to tell people what they "should" do. Take a moment to think about a time when you were told what you "should" do and how that made you feel. The tone of that one word automatically made a wall go up. Each of us know the areas of our lives that requires improvement, and when we find ourselves talking to our friends or family sometimes it's best to simply listen. Allowing the conversation tone to be one of safety. I think that walls are lessen when we feel like we're being heard, even when we don't agree. Some conversations are harder than others & some people are more of a challenge to deal with. Through it all, we want to do our best to keep the lines of communication open and the tone respectful and supportive. Tone does matter. I hope today's post inspires you to think about it when communicating.
So true indeed! Story of my life,but I’m oftentimes the “guilty” party. Many times what I’ve said has come across the wrong way, sending the wrong message, resulting in an unintended reaction - all because of how I said it, not what I said. Great reminder for sure to always be mindful of this!