Miscommunication

The other week I was on vacation and each morning I pulled out my laptop and checked my emails and did a little bit of work. This happened most mornings around 5 am. With the exception of one day on our vacation I was up drinking coffee and enjoy the beautiful view of the ocean and listening to the waves about that time each day. That one day I slept in I got up at 5:30! I really like getting up early. I went for a few jogs, did a couple workouts, and went fishing a couple times!

I normally clear out my junk emails and sort all my other emails, look at messages while the coffee is brewing. But I have a little rule that I really, really try to follow...and it helps when I follow it.

That Little Rule

DO NOT respond to emails or messages before drinking your first cup of coffee. When I look at my notifications, or emails and I see a lot of unanswered messages I want to get them taken care of. But rushing to get them cleared out normally doesn't help.

It is so easy to be misunderstood or misunderstand something when reading text. There are no facial expressions, no tones, no body language to go along with it. Even a lol, or a :) after a sentence can come across a different way from one person to the next. And if you are in a hurry or rushing you may be more inclined to type something that could be taken out of context and come across wrong, or at least in a way that you didn't intend.

Recently while I was out fishing I got a text from a friend that had a question. I should have used my coffee rule. Or I should have said hey bud I will give you a call in a bit. But I didn't I responded real quick and he asked another question. That question really confused me since I had just answered it. So I texted back are you serious? He texted back yes I am dead serious. I sat down and re-read the message and then understood that we misunderstood each other. I assumed he knew what I was saying and that was my fault but because I was rushing I didn't take the time to explain what I meant. I am glad this was someone that knew me and I knew him.

Follow Up

Shortly after this little misunderstanding I made a phone call just to make sure things were good. Even though I was pretty sure they were when things like this happen I just wanted to take a minute to clear the air and not assume everything was OK. And making those phone call are important to show how much you value the relationship that you have.

David

Shop Local Delmarva

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