Week 31: You're doing a lot. Why not give yourself some credit?

And why not celebrate your journey thus far?

What are your strengths in communication? Where can you make improvements?

If there is one thing that can cure all ills, it *might* be open and clear communication.

We’ve talked quite a bit about communication skills this year already, but it bears reviewing. I can’t tell you how many people read and re-read Nonviolent Communication with me in therapy, and we always find some new gem within the familiar material.

To review, the general elements of good communication include:

• Clarity:

  The message should be easy to understand, with no ambiguity or jargon.

• Conciseness:

  The message should be brief and to the point, avoiding unnecessary words or information.

• Correctness:

  The information presented should be accurate and factual, ensuring no errors or misinterpretations.

• Completeness:

  The message should provide all the necessary information for the receiver to understand and act upon it.

• Courtesy:

  The message should be respectful and considerate of the recipient's feelings and perspective.

With some scrutiny, you can see there are a lot of “shoulds” in these definitions. That’s a clue that these are ideals, not necessarily reals, and that it takes effort to get close to achieving these goals in your communication.

There are also some things missing in this list, and if you do any kind of search on “essential elements of communication” you’ll see lists varying from 5 to 10 elements. Whatever essentials you want to strive for, just remember that - in reviewing your strengths and areas for improvement - you do not have to be perfect. You do not have to strive for perfection. We are all working on things here and life is a series of trials and errors. As long as you are trying, you’re doing very well!

Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash