We all communicate differently.

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Some communicate with words.

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Others communicate with action.

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Yet it is all open to interpretation.

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We feel that when we say one thing, that is what the other person hears.

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Yet often the other person hears something completely different.

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Sometimes our silence communicates so much more than our words.

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And the story we make from the silence can be far different than what was intended.

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This is why clear communication is so important.

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Ultimately, we truly don't know what the other person heard.

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Or how they will interpret what they heard.

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We certainly do not know what story or meaning they will create from what we said.

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So how do we communicate clearly when there are so many things that interfere with our communication?

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With effort, acknowledgement and reflecting back what we heard.

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The most important factor in clear communication will be our presence.

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When we are truly present to the conversation we are having, we can feel what is being communicated.

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When two people are truly present to a conversation, the words almost don't matter.

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They will know what the other person is feeling and is they are trying to convey.

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Presence is our greatest asset when it comes to communication.

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Not just being present to the other person.

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But being present to the story we are making from what we are hearing.

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When we are self-aware enough to see our own internal meaning-making program in action, we can step back and refrain from creating a story around it until we are certain we understand what is going on.

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This takes time.

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And it takes practice.

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Yet the rewards will be immeasurable if we stay with it.

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Communication can be challenging.

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The antidote is almost always presence.

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So how can you be more present to the conversations, especially the challenging conversations, in your life?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant

Host of The Conscious Consultant Hour