Just received this. Hope it helps.
“I know you believe you understand what you think I said. I’m not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant.”– Robert McCloskey
It has happened to all of us. We say something, and it is misconstrued and, suddenly, the person hearing it becomes incensed. They respond without thinking about it, and you are left with drama or hurt feelings. It happens at work, school, home, and on social media. The issue isn’t an issue until someone responds; that’s what fuels the fire and stirs it up until everything is so intensified that no one knows who they are angry at, why they were angry, or why it even mattered in the first place. When I counsel in my office, most of the session is spent clarifying what was said and what was heard. It is often a tedious process, but you cannot understand why you are upset if you no longer know who said what and, more importantly, if they meant what you heard.
“I know you believe you understand what you think I said. I’m not sure you realize what you heard is not what I meant.”– Robert McCloskey
It has happened to all of us. We say something, and it is misconstrued and, suddenly, the person hearing it becomes incensed. They respond without thinking about it, and you are left with drama or hurt feelings. It happens at work, school, home, and on social media. The issue isn’t an issue until someone responds; that’s what fuels the fire and stirs it up until everything is so intensified that no one knows who they are angry at, why they were angry, or why it even mattered in the first place. When I counsel in my office, most of the session is spent clarifying what was said and what was heard. It is often a tedious process, but you cannot understand why you are upset if you no longer know who said what and, more importantly, if they meant what you heard.