communication

Last night I was reading an email and feeling a bit badly because of it.  After having Clint read the email and read back through a small string of previous emails, I realized that my initial email had not communicated what I'd wanted it to. 

When I had read the initial email to myself (in my head) it had sounded really nice and was meant to open up communication on a certain subject.  When Clint read it, it sounded a bit blunt and seemed like I'd already made a decision on the subject.  Interesting...

Some things I'm learning about communication

• It is so important that we communicate well (seems obvious, I know :)).
• I often need to give background information.  So much happens in this head of mine.  Often I start talking/writing after the conversation is halfway over in my head.  Obviously, it takes the other person/people a bit to catch up.  
• Things can be heard or read in so many different ways (again, something we all know).  It's helpful if I can think through it before I write or say it.

Going off that last bullet point, another thing I'm realizing is that I frequently apologize for how I might have come across.  This is not bad, per se, if my intent is that I think I've hurt the other person in some way.  But, I've just noticed that I mostly do this out of an assumption that they think the worst of me...which is really a judgment of them on my part.  Yikes.

So, here I am...striving to communicate better.