97. Before You Send That Message...

“When you get an unclear, ambiguous, and vague text message, the message is open to so many interpretations. You may have all sorts of stories in your mind, and when you respond, your response may be influenced by the narrative you created,” explains host Alejandra. Today, she discusses six points of consideration for more skillful, conscious, mindful, and efficient communication when using written communication tools like text messaging.

 

Misunderstandings can often lead to unintentional conflict. In order to avoid the potential for misunderstandings, it is typically best to spend a bit more time making sure your message is written in as clear language as possible. When you receive an unclear, ambiguous, and vague text message, instead of coming up with assumptions about the sender’s intent, ask a clarifying question. This will help both you and the sender communicate more mindfully and efficiently while reducing the opportunity for misunderstandings. 

 

People frequently make the mistake of sacrificing clarity for brevity when it comes to texting. Spend some extra time making sure your text message is clear. Because this will not only show consideration for the recipient’s time and reduce misunderstandings, but also your overall communication will be more efficient. 

 

Quotes

• “Vague, ambiguous, unclear messages are taxing to your brain.” (4:02-4:08 | Alejandra)

• “When you get such an unclear, ambiguous, and vague text message, the message is open to so many interpretations. You may have all sorts of stories in your mind, and when you respond, your response may be influenced by the narrative you created.” (9:57-10:16 | Alejandra)

• “If you're trying to be brief and quick in a text message, make sure you're not sacrificing clarity.” (14:20-14:28 | Alejandra) 

• “If you take a couple more minutes or a few more seconds before you send that text message or before you reply to an unclear message, your communication will not only be more skillful, because you'll reduce the amount of guesswork and misunderstanding, but your communication will also be more efficient, because you will reduce the number of messages in the thread.” (18:25-18:49 | Alejandra)

 

Links

To join the Language Alchemy mailing list, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com

To ask questions you'd like Alejandra to answer in the podcast, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/podcastquestion

To find out about 1:1 transformative communication coaching with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/oneonone

To find out about couple transformative communication coaching with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/couples

To schedule a reduced-rate coaching consultation with Alejandra, visit: https://www.languagealchemy.com/newclient

To follow Alejandra on instagram follow @languagealchemy

Podcast Music composed by Gary Lapow: open.spotify.com/artist/1HlMhcNfKIELxYil5mVqD

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm