Civility and manners
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Active listening
“Active listening and communication will aid you in the ability to understand and relate to others’ feelings and circumstances.” ~Shannen Zitz, Prevention magazine Have you noticed lately that most people simply wait for others to stop talking so that they can start reciting their own monologues? That’s not active listening. What does it mean to be an active listener? Active listeners are curious and have a sincere interest in other people. They hush their own egos and pay attention when other people speak; they’re not preoccupied with themselves. Active listening requires discipline. It means we have to focus on the content of what the other person is saying — and…
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Election season
“It doesn’t matter what you say you believe — it only matters what you do.” ~Robert Fulghum As if Halloween weren’t scary enough, election season is in full swing. Our mail-in ballots arrived and lawn signs are sprouting everywhere. Politicians are making promises, right and left, and I’ve been studying the issues to make sure I’m making educated choices. I’ve never trusted folks — not just politicians — who tell me what they think I want to hear. So, right now I’m asking a lot of questions. What issues are most important to my community as a whole — not just to me? How much experience do the candidates have?…
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Emerson’s golden rule
“As we are, so we do; and as we do, so is it done to us. We are the builders of our fortunes.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson is one of my heroes. A champion of self-reliance, this American essayist and lecturer had little sympathy for those who blamed their problems on other people or outside circumstances. He was ordained as a Unitarian minister in Boston in 1829, so it’s not surprising to hear echoes of the Golden Rule in today’s quote. (“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” ~Matthew 7:12.) Emerson believed that personal responsibility is empowering. When we hold ourselves accountable for our…
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The gift of gab: How to improve our conversation skills
“We live in a technological universe in which we are always communicating. And yet we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection.” ~Sherry Turkle Have our listening skills gotten a bit rusty? With the winter holidays fast approaching, it’s the ideal time for a refresher course in two-way conversation skills. Are you exhausted by folks who talk too much about themselves, or won’t let you get a word in edgewise? That’s the topic of this lifestyles feature in the Homefront section of The Sunday Oakland Press and Macomb Daily. (You can read it online here.) ~Cindy La Ferle
