#179 What if all you had was a trick?

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What if all you had was a trick?

Thank you for calling GIH where we instigate growth one call at a time where we utilize antiquated technology to deliver 3-minute leadership lessons every week day! This is message #179 and I am Aaron Havens.

Picture this. A cute kid comes up to your door to ‘Trick or Treat’ and you pulled a fake dove out of your hat or showed them a cool card trick. Haha

I bet a couple kids would totally lose their minds if you took their words literally. “No treat for you. Just a trick”.

Taking the words literally would betray you!

Where do you have to go against logic, and are you good at reading the room. A trick is not what the room wants! It’s not really a question. It’s an expectation and a demand. Put candy in my bag is what that statement says. Where in your life are people saying one thing but expecting the other. And where do you do that?

Here’s another good example of a phrase that isn’t really what is being said. The phrase “if you don’t mind please excuse me”. Now this phrase bugs one of my friends big time. They think it should be said more like this “hey buddy I’m coming through if you like it or not, at least I’ll try to act like you have a choice and that I care at all”. That’s funny.

Let me return to my question. Where are you saying one thing but meaning another?

Brace for a brilliant thought. George Bernard Shaw said "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Just because words are being said, doesn’t mean communication has taken place. Just because you said one thing doesn’t mean I heard what you said. In fact, I might be hearing completely wrong.

Here’s your challenge today.

As a communicator… SAY WHAT YOU MEAN. Don’t beat around the bush and speak in code and get upset when we translate the meaning wrong.

As a listener… ask clarifying questions if need be. Don’t just think you understand what has just been said.

Thanks for calling in today. Tune in tomorrow for a fresh new topic! At the sound of the beep I’d love to hear about a time you totally misunderstood or was completely misunderstood. AND, whose fault was the mis-communication?