This video was making the rounds recently and it's worth watching ...
... but I'd like to add extra perspective to it.
In the video, we see how easy it is for communication to break down. A 'message' gets quickly warped as it makes the rounds. That's a valuable takeaway. I'd also point out:
Every single person who shared the message in this video did so IN GOOD FAITH.
They each tried to convey an accurate version of what they understood the message to be. Why does this matter?
Because in my work, I often see leaders/ employees/teams make immediate, harsh and negative assumptions about a colleague's CHARACTER when in fact, conflict arose because of simple, unintended miscommunication.
This is unfortunate. And we're all guilty of it to some degree (myself included).
Part of Emotional Intelligence is recognizing when our sense of ANNOYANCE that something went awry (a conversation, a project, etc.) morphs into us telling ourselves (and often others) a presumptive story about the motivations, character, or integrity others.
Most people mean well, are TRYING THEIR BEST, and are communicating as accurately as they can.
We'd resolve conflict faster if we made our first assumption that MISCOMMUNICATION is the likely culprit instead of assuming nefarious intentions.
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