The Gentle Art of Conversational Ping Pong

Here is a great blog post on communication by Michael Hyatt:

The Gentle Art of Conversational Ping Pong

Here are some related posts:

The Lost Art of Listening
The Power of Questions

Communication Insights

Learn to Listen!

To listen well is as powerful a means of communication and influence as to talk well.
- John Marshall

A high degree of empathy in a relationship is possibly the most potent factor in bringing about change and learning. - Carl Rogers

The wisest people listen three times as much as they speak. - Stan Toler

God has given us two ears, but one tongue, to show that we should be swift to hear, but slow to speak. God has set a double fence before the tongue, the teeth and the lips, to teach us to be wary that we offend not with our tongue. - Thomas Watson

Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses. - Margaret Millar

Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be. - Author Unknown

Many a man would rather you heard his story than grant his request. [This is true of women, too, of course!] - Lord Chesterfield

Everybody’s got a story,
I’ve got mine and you’ve got yours,
and I will listen if you let me in.

Everybody’s got a secret sadness
that you cannot keep inside forever--
let its strength dispel. And tell your story. - Christine Dente

It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear. - Henry David Thoreau

We’ve all heard the criticism, “He talks too much.” When was the last time you heard someone criticized for listening too much? - Norm Augustine

A wise old owl
Lived in an oak
The more he saw
The less he spoke
The less he spoke
The more he heard
Why can’t more be like that wise old bird? - Earl Smith

The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention. - Richard Moss

Instead of putting people in their place,
begin putting yourself in their place. - John Maxwell

Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They’re either speaking or preparing to speak. - Stephen R. Covey

An inability to stay quiet is one of the most conspicuous failings of mankind. - Walter Bagehot

We are a “teller” society. We have never discovered the power of the ear. When someone tells us his/her problems we think we must have an answer. If we have no answer, we either give shallow answers or just run from the question. - Doug Manning

What people really need is a good listening-to. - Mary Lou Casey

Some people believe in the laying on of hands;
I believe in “the laying on of ears”! - Harold Ivan Smith

I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening. - Larry King

Hearing is one of the body’s five senses. But listening is an art. - Frank Tyger

One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears—by listening to them. - Dean Rusk

Next to entertaining or impressive talk, a thoroughgoing silence manages to intrigue most people. - J. Borden Harriman

It’s more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long difficult words but rather short easy words like, “What about lunch?” - Winnie the Pooh


The Importance of Keeping Your Mouth Shut

A closed mouth gathers no foot. - Bob Cook

If thou thinkest twice, before thou speakest once, thou wilt speak twice the better for it. - William Penn

He who has a secret should not only hide it, but hide that he has it to hide. - Thomas Carlyle

A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you’re in deep water. - anonymous

Did you hear about the self help group for compulsive talkers? It’s called On & On Anon. - anonymous

Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. - anonymous

Letting the cat out of the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back. - Will Rogers

It can be very embarrassing to be wrong at the top of your voice. - anonymous

Before you pass on something you’ve heard, T.H.I.N.K.
T Is it True?
H Is it Helpful ?
I Is it Inspiring?
N Is it Necessary?
K Is it Kind? ...... - anonymous

If you have any fault to find with anyone, tell him, not others, of what you complain; there is no more dangerous experiment than that of undertaking to be one thing before a man’s face and another behind his back. - Robert E. Lee



Empathy and Understanding

Knowing that I am understood by at least one other person who truly cares about me greatly shores up my ability to face anything life brings. - Guy Greenfield

I have never known a person who did not try to flee from manipulators. - Alan Loy McGinnis

To the extent that I communicate myself as a person to you and you communicate yourself to me, we share in the common mysteries of ourselves. - John Powell

Touching:
If you observe those who have deep relationships, you will find that, although few of them are indiscriminate grabbers who hug everyone in sight, most have delicately tuned their sense of touch and it is in use every time they are with people. They listen with their eyes. They draw close to another person during conversation, and they make body contact frequently to keep communication at a warm level - Alan Loy McGinnis

I can sidetrack you in subtle, non-verbal ways. I can yawn, look at my watch, tighten my jaws, narrow my eyes, raise my eyebrows, suddenly lean forward, change the volume or pitch of my voice. In any case, I will be communicating through “coded signals,” and you will know something is wrong. - John Powell

There is in the heart of every human being, a powerful longing for a relationship with at least one other person. - Howard and Charlotte Clinebell

Because marriage is potentially the most totally intimate of all human relationships, it is both the most difficult relationship and the most rewarding. - Howard and Charlotte Clinebell.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11


Learn more about
"Developing the Skills of a Great Communicator"
at the Successful Relationships Workshop:

www.jacksonfriends.org/singles.htm

Coming to Jackson Friends Church on September 27th.

NEW - Successful Relationships Workshop

On September 27th we are launching a brand new ministry (first time at Jackson Friends Church), called the Successful Relationships Workshop.














SRW will address the important issues that will improve all types of your relationships: friendships, family relationships, work relationships, and romantic ones.

We will spend 8 Sunday night sessions (every other week) together with one hour of instruction and an hour of interaction in small groups.

Mark your calendar with these dates:

September 27
October 11
October 25
November 8
[holiday break]
January 10
January 24
February 7
February 21

Allow me to encourage you to register early and save on your registration fee. A complete brochure with all the details and a registration form is posted at:

jacksonfriends.org

Jackson Friends Church directions

I am so looking forward to this! Tell a friend.

- Pastor Craig

Isn't it a good idea to avoid confict in a relationship?

Studies conducted since the 1970s have shown that people who avoid conflict significantly undermine their relationships.

- Les Parrott
twitter.com/LesParrott

Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts

Q&A by Relationship Experts Les & Leslie Parrott

Just click on the questions to see the video response:
www.realrelationships1.com/PM.php

The Parrotts have written what I believe is the best book on relationships for single adults, Relationships: How to make Bad Relationships Better and Good Relationships Great.