The Surprise Equation

Have you experienced the effectiveness of this surprise equation in dealing with people?                                                          Lower volume + slower speech = better communication.The natural tendency for people, when they get agitated or angry when talking, is to get louder (often screaming) and faster. This might help the one speaking get something off their chest. But, how effective is that with the one who received the verbal assault?There is evidence that shows that when people are faced with angry outbursts, no matter how true or justified, their mental blockades go up; those walls get higher and thicker. And the person who got angry in the first place gets angrier. This plays out in just about all human relationships.An effective and safer (unbridled anger has dangerous health effects) alternative is for the one communicating to gather their thoughts, and, softly and slowly say what they had to say. This approach doesn’t raise resistance in the other person, and they might be much more open to what is being shared with them.Communication experts teach that while what you say may be important, your words are only 7% of your sharing. 38% has to do with your tone of voice, and 55% of your communication is your body language.Proverbs 15:1 taught this principle a long time ago: A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word makes tempers flare☹    –Jeba Moses