Anyone entering into communication has a choice of purpose. That choice can either be to persuade or to understand. It seems that a great majority of dialogue is for the purpose of persuasion. A good question we can ask ourselves to determine our purpose is:“Do I want to be right or do I want to have a relationship?” If we desire to be right, communication will be about blame or proving a point. If we desire to have relationship communication then will be about claim or understanding another’s point of view. When we claim our part of the responsibility and with that ownership seek ways to move to contribute to a need we can truly use communication to take us to deeper relationship.
Questions to ponder: What is the purpose of my conversation typically?How much do I understand the needs of others as I talk to them?
Proverbs 18:13 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. (The Message Bible)