One thing that has been irking me a lot lately is poor communication.

When someone is mad at you but won’t talk to you about it.

When someone tells you something hoping for a specific reaction, but not outright asking for what they want.

Example:

Friend “I’m going to the lake later.”

Me: “Cool.”

Friend: “Well I guess I’m not going, because no one wants to go with me.”

Me: (to self) ugh! why didn’t they ask me to go? (to them) “ah. dang.”

Unfortunately, being irked by these things doesn’t make them go away.

In fact, I point out poor communication practices, and then often respond in kind. Instead of talking to the friend, I continue the lack of contact.

Instead of saying “cool”, when I know the friend is fishing for me to go with them, I should just ask them if I can come, or tell them I would go, but I’m busy. Either way, I am usually aware of the reaction someone is seeking, and instead of waiting for them to initiate, I should just tackle the subject head on. It would save a lot of headache.

So that’s what I’m working on this month: recognizing and correcting my own lapses in effective communication.