Getting to the Point

Vagaries in communication can lead to such angst, can they not?  Someone drops a few words and phrases that feel loaded and unspecified and off we go to try to figure out what’s really going on … becoming preoccupied, distracted and often completely off-target as we project all of our own stuff upon what was “probably” being said.

Guessing games like this make me highly uncomfortable, and honestly at times I can be quite persistent about drawing the clarity I desire from the “other” … when most often it’s best to simply let the conversation rest and allow my emotional cycle to complete.

By the same token, however, when I feel that I may have been a bit too cryptic in my own communication—often because I’m trying to curb my direct nature so as not to be abrupt or abrasive—I find it immensely helpful to go ahead and clarify what I actually wanted to say in the first place, so that all parties can move forward more gracefully.

With this a premise, I just want to celebrate the wonderfulness of clear communication—saying what we mean and meaning what we say.  It's just so much easier on the nervous system.  

Do you sometimes find it challenging to say exactly what you mean?  If so, what factors are at play when this happens?