Have you ever put your foot in your mouth? This can be an embarrassing and sometimes hurtful result of not slowing down to think before you speak.
There have been numerous times in my life I have found myself in this situation.
One thing I love about my job is the long-term relationships I establish with clients. It is common after doing intensive work for a time period with a client to have them contact me a year or two later for a “tune up” to work through an issue.
In these situations, out of habit, I have often said things like, “It’s so good to hear from you”, “How are you?”, or “It’s great to see you”.
When I really think about the situation, I remind myself that they are in my office because things are not good, and they probably wish they didn’t have to be in a position to come see me! Oops! It’s time to think before you speak Teri!
I encourage you to slow down and be intentional about the messages you send. This shows empathy for other’s feelings, and a genuine care and concern that someone “hears” the message you are trying to communicate.
Be careful! Not slowing down could end up in a hurtful miscommunication!
Written by Teri Claassen MSW, LCSW
Teri Claassen MSW, LCSW is a licensed therapist at Imagine Hope Counseling Group. Teri enjoys doing marriage counseling, individual counseling, couples and relationship counseling. Teri also does family counseling, child counseling, and adolescent counseling. Imagine Hope serves the Indianapolis area, including the surrounding areas of Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Zionsville, and Westfield.
Teri: A couple months ago, at work, I was looking at 3 poster board creations by different divisions outlining goals for this year. Two of them, I liked. The third one, however, I commented it was “too busy.” I then asked who made it. Turns out it was the woman standing right next to me. And, she was pretty new to our office.
Wish now I had asked first who made it, and then kept my mouth closed. She was very nice and accepted my apology, even graciously laughing about my comment but it was a good lesson for me to be aware of who might be affected by my off-the-hand comment. As they say, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.” Thanks for your blog. It reminded me to think and be aware before I speak. Kathleen
Thanks Kathleen. It can be so awkward to be in those situations! These are good reminders to stay aware and to be intentional about our communication!