EP3: Conversational Conversations

In this podcast episode, Lizzie from Shadowhoochee Tech discusses navigating conversational challenges in both the workplace and interpersonal relationships. She highlights the causes of communication problems, such as miscommunication and a lack of understanding. Lizzie provides examples and advises listeners to approach these challenges calmly, practice active listening, and practice forgiveness. She emphasizes that these challenges are common and encourages listeners to take these steps to navigate them. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Working With You podcast. On today's episode, we will not be having a host here today, but instead it will just be me, Lizzie, from Shadowhoochee Tech, here to talk to you about navigating conversational challenges. But first, as you know, a word from our amazing sponsor. Hey, guys. This is Francisco real quick. I want to give a shout-out and thank you to our sponsor for today's show to making this possible, the Lilly Legendary's Pickles. Lilly Legendary's Pickles, that's right, friends. Feast your eyes on the crunchiest, zestiest pickles on this side of the Mississippi. Made with love and a dash of magic, these pickles will tickle your taste buds and leave you craving more. Make sure you use the Working Wizard podcast discount, which is workingwizards15 to get 15% off your next order. Now let's get back to the show. So I'm sure we have all had our fair share of uncomfortable conversations, whether that be talking about sensitive topics such as politics, needing to end a relationship in your life, or you may feel upset about a situation and need to confront it. In all of these cases, approaching these conversations respectfully and calmly is ideal for navigating these conversational challenges. Today I will be touching on how to confront these conflicts in two main areas of life, one, the workplace, and two, interpersonal relationships. So, well, first, what are the causes of communication problems? Being real, there is a lot that can contribute to communication problems, but nine times out of ten, communications issues arise out of miscommunication and a lack of understanding between both parties. In the workplace, these communication challenges can occur from issues regarding productivity, promotion, salary negotiations, deadlines, race, politics, and so much more. An example of this could be, so let's say your boss came to you about a situation with hostility and attitude. You don't understand why she's talking to you this way and then begin to feel angry and defensive and a little bit nervous because you know she's your boss and she has power and conduct over your job. But you can even do one of two things. Act on your emotions. I mean, in this scenario, you start returning her energy, which eventually will lead to rash decisions. Or you can calmly tell her, it looks like you're feeling pretty angry. Should we talk about this at a different time? And then you guys return to the conversation later with respect and understanding. Now, sometimes, even when you take the level-headed route, the outcome may result in content, which in that case you do not deserve to be around those people anymore. In interpersonal relationships, communication conflicts can present themselves when one does not express unmet needs. And then understanding how each person can communicate or how they do communicate, their communication styles, have external stress, and many more reasons. Examples of this could be, your roommate of three years constantly lives off of you. They ask to borrow your clothes, but they never give them back. And when you ask, it appears missing or lost. Or, oh, I never had that. Yeah, okay. Never buys groceries or any household appliances, is late to pay rent, and many more things that irritate you, but your roommate is your best friend since elementary school and you still want to be her friend, even though you're tired of living with her. So you can either do one of two things. You talk your feelings inside to the point where you explode, or you peacefully mention all the things she has done to you that you don't appreciate. No matter how she responds, whether she gets angry or she understands, if you took the latter route, you did the right thing. Advice I would advise everyone to take when navigating difficult conversations would be to stay calm and breathe. If you need to take a step back and resurface to the conversation later, because it's heating up, please do so. Number two I would say is to practice active listening. If you listened to my previous podcast on how to master the art of effective listening, you will know that I mentioned how critical this is to allow the speaker to feel heard and understood. If you have not listened to my podcast, you should go do that. Number three would be to practice forgiveness. Holding on to grudges and resentments only leads to more conflicts and moving forward will benefit both parties. But that's all I have to say on how to navigate communicational challenges. It's very, very common, and it's most definitely going to appear in your life at one point or the other if it hasn't already. So just take these three steps, stay calm and breathe, practice active listening, and practice forgiveness to help you go through these challenges. Thank you so much for listening. For more, stay tuned on the Working With It podcast. www.workingwithit.com