Sometimes I’m told that people like the way I push for the things important to me while not stepping on anyone’s toes. This is no coincidence. I’m very sensitive to the way how someone delivers a message to me. So if you kick me in the shins first before you tell me what you want from me, I will not listen. I will be upset, maybe feel offended, but I will definitely not listen to you.

You might now think: certainly, that’s just common sense. But this concept reaches further. If you are not unfriendly, but just very direct, I probably also will go into opposition. Why? Because nothing will be understood without context. So if your message lacks any friendly context, the receiver (me!) will make up one. And it probably will not be a positive one.

This is the opposite of “reading between the lines”. It’s writing or saying things without explicitly saying them. If you don’t fully understand what I’m talking about, let’s have a chat (pun intended!).

Photo by Alexandra