Truth Brings Forth Trust

One of the most important features of effective communication is our trust in the integrity and honesty of the speaker. That person must be trustworthy because when trust is absent, communication becomes unreliable. An essential principle for effective communication is that our words must represent the highest human values.

An adolescent confided that the most important objective of her life was regaining her mother's trust. A year earlier she had become deceptive in her behaviors and communications. In order to regain her mother’s trust she willingly complied within the boundaries that were compatible with truth and honesty.

Effective communication reflects sound values and virtues. These virtues serve as a guide in times of strife or peace. God's word reminds us to speak the truth in every situation. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." By keeping our trust and faith in Christ Jesus active, we will be able to live with others in that truth.  

_________________ 

[Jesus prayed,] Your word is the truth. So let this truth make [my followers] completely yours…I have given myself completely for their sake, so that they may belong completely to the truth.

~John 17:17,19 Contemporary English Version

_________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Want to Communicate? Then Communicate

During the initial days of a relationship, each person tries to present an acceptable image of themselves. How we communicate determines whether a relationship ends or goes forward. Each encounter is an interview which conveys truth and honesty – or disinformation and fiction.

It's not unusual for an individual to refuse to communicate except when necessary, and then only on a superficial level. Unresolved conflict is a primary reason for diminished communications. Becoming detached or distant in one's relationships reflects an unwillingness to live by the virtues that give life its richest meaning and purpose.

Unhappiness can result in a decision to live in emotional exile. However, effective communication therapy helps individuals become responsive and open enough to restore meaning and purpose to their relationships. Hiding from the truth is contrary to God's plan. God promises the truth will set you free, and you can trust God's word to be true. 

_________________ 

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

~Proverbs 18:21 English Standard Version

I will give you a new heart – I will give you new and right desires – and put a new spirit within you. I will take out your stony hearts of sin and give you new hearts of love.

~Ezekiel 36:26 The Living Bible

_________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Use Honorable Language for Effective Communication

The way we communicate says as much about our identity as any other attribute. It’s apparent that the way we communicate may vary according to our circumstances. Your vocabulary may be different at home than it is at work. Continuity in values demonstrates honesty and integrity.

Our values influence how we perceive the world and our place in it. Values impact our identity and the way we communicate. One question each person is destined to ask is: How can my life be useful and spiritually meaningful, based on values that are acceptable to Jesus Christ?

Another principle for effective communication includes language that corresponds to the highest values that give meaning and purpose to life. James 3:9-10 makes it clear that Christians are not to be contradictory in their conversations by praising God and then cursing others. Let your conversations reflect the highest moral and spiritual standards so you will be found acceptable to the Lord Jesus Christ.  

__________________ 

With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongue we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on.

~James 3:9-10 The Message 

“Listen to [my warning]. Honor me with all your heart,” says the Lord who rules over all.

~Malachi 2:2a New International Reader’s Version

___________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.

Fear to Listen = Failure to Communicate

Listening is easy when there is an appreciative reason for doing so, but it’s difficult when positive reinforcement is not present. It is possible to permit differences of intelligence, education, or even social standing to become barriers to listening. We often refuse to listen to information that challenges our beliefs and lifestyle.

There seems to be an underlying fear that listening compels us to modify our opinions and behaviors. Jesus encountered resistance from the religious leaders who felt threatened by any challenge to their authority. They refused to listen because they feared Jesus would change the current  balance of power and their way of life.

The fact is that someone else could have a better idea than ours, but if fear of losing our prestige or power is an issue, permitting that person to express their ideas and solutions is not permissible for us. Wise is the person who listens deliberately and empathically to others and also listens to the council of the Holy Spirit. So be quick to listen.  

_________________ 

[Jesus said,] “Listen, then, if you have ears!” He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear! The same rules you use to judge others will be used by God to judge you – but with even greater severity.”

~Mark 4:23-24 Good News Bible

_________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

Listening: An Act of Kindness

A fourth essential principle for effective communication is listening attentively or deliberately to others as they relay their message. Exercising this skill is a necessity because most individuals are selective listeners and biased in what they hear. When an inconsistency occurs between what is heard and what is acceptable, conflict may quickly reveal itself.

Research has discovered we’re capable of speaking up to 175 words per minute, while our ability to listen is in the neighborhood of 600 words per minute. However, listening becomes difficult if we permit our thoughts to jump ahead, trying to analyze the motive and purpose of the speaker or compose our response.

Kindness is authenticated as we deliberately and empathically listen when another person is speaking. This is necessary for catching the complete meaning of the message being communicated. Kindness, motivated by appreciation, reflects the heart and mind of the Lord Jesus Christ, who listens to our need to connect with him. 

__________________ 

Ears that hear and eyes that see – we get our basic equipment from God!

~Proverbs 20:12 The Message

 And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”

~Mark 4:9 Good News Bible

__________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

Deliberate Listening Leads to Effective Communication

To communicate effectively, careful consideration must be given to listening thoroughly with an open mind. Thorough listening does not mean racing ahead in your mind to formulate a response or rebuttal. For words to have value, they must be received with the same degree of importance as when spoken by the other person.

So a basic principle for effective communication is listening with empathy. Empathic listening includes identifying with and understanding another person's feelings along with their spoken words, even when the other person is trying to hide their feelings. Camouflaging your own feelings is done to avoid exposing tender vulnerabilities.

The objective of deliberate listening is to evaluate the spoken words. God gave us the willingness to listen so we could understand others. He repeatedly admonishes us to listen deliberately to him. By listening carefully, we demonstrate that his words as well as the words of others have value and are worthy of our love and appreciation. 

__________________ 

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat but by what you think and say!”  

~Mark 7:14-16 The Living Bible

__________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week. 

Choose Your Responses with Care

An essential principle in effective communication is choosing when to speak. Some people will say everything they think without considering that words impact people as significantly as any other behavior. We will remember words of criticism for a lifetime.

Evaluating the impact our words have on others is a wise choice. Proverbs 15:2 carries a warning: "The tongue of the wise conveys knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish gushes folly." We are to employ wisdom in the usage of words because harsh criticism seldom produces positive change. Carefully choosing affirming words builds a bridge to effective communications.

Our response to unwholesome speech can model patience and a caring attitude by controlling what and when we reply. Proverbs 12:8 offers guidance for these situations. "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise is healing". Carefully choosing words that please the Lord God brings his blessings into our lives. 

__________________ 

[Jesus said]…”a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart. A good man gives out good – from the goodness stored in his heart; a bad man gives out evil – from his store of evil. I tell you that men will have to answer at the day of judgment for every careless word they utter – for it is your words that will acquit you and your words that will condemn you.”

~Matthew 12:34-37 Phillips – New Testament in Modern English

___________________

Subscribe to the Attitudes Answers podcast on your favorite podcast platform to hear this and other 2-minute features 3 days every week.