- 3 -
communicate
effectively
June 10 - July 7
Imagine this: it's easy for you to speak up and say what you really think. You enjoy appreciating by listening to them. You easily adapt your communication to suite the audience and circumstances. You do not experience the heaviness of dishonesty or inauthenticity. You naturally communicate in a way that's genuine, considerate, and easy to understand.
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This can become your reality as you practice this season's virtue. First and foremost, remember that the purpose of all virtuous communication is to help yourself and others Fulfill Yearnity. With that end in mind, you can Communicate Effectively using this season's three Core Principles:
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1. Consider the Content:​
When listening, be 100% present and receive what is being said to you.
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When speaking, say what you mean and mean what you say. Avoid exaggerating, twisting, or hiding what what happened, what you believe, or who you are. The truth will set you free!
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> When have you felt more free because you were honest?
> In what situations are you most likely to exaggerate, twist, or hide the truth? What is your motive for doing so?
> How could being more honest in these situations be liberating for you?
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2. Consider the Context:​
The context of a communication includes the people involved, their schema, their motives, the setting, the backstory, and any other factor that affects how information is given and received.
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When listening, use context to help pick up on the subtext of the content being communicated to you. Ask clarifying questions to make sure you're interpreting this subtext correctly.
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When speaking, use context to inform how you state the context. This will help you be honest without being rude. You'll increase the likelihood that you can state the truth in a way that's well received in each individual circumstance.
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> Think of a time when you or someone you know did a good job of considering context as they communicated. What did that look, sound, and feel like?
> Think of a recent communication that could have gone better. How could Considering the Context have improved the communication?
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3. Consider the Delivery:​
The delivery of a communication includes tone of voice, rhetoric, communication method (in-person, text, video, etc.), body language, and any other tool used to get the message to the audience.
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When listening, pay attention to the speaker's delivery and use that to pick up the subtext of the content they're communicating. As with the context, ask clarifying questions to be sure you're understanding the subtext correctly.
When speaking, pick the delivery methods that will do the best job of communicating the content within the current context.
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> Think of an important communication you will have soon. How can that conversation Fulfill the Yearnity of each person involved?
> How will you effectively consider content, context, and delivery in order to increase the likelihood that everyone will understand clearly and have their yearnity fulfilled?
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Everything above about "listening" also applies to reading, watching video, and other forms of receiving information. Everything about "speaking" applies to writing, making video, and other forms of transmitting information.
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And all of these communication principles apply to actions. Every action everyone does communicates something to those around them. Consider content (the action itself), context (the circumstances in which the action happens), and deliver (the way the action is performed) as you make choices about how to use your Agency and as you interpret what other people choose to do.
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> What's a situation where your interpretation of someone's else's action might change as you consider the context and their delivery.
> What's an action you might do that would be appropriate in one context but not in another?

Resources
Try Learning a New Language
This is a great way to practice this season's 3 Core Principles.
