Poor Communication Skills

      These two videos were a great example of what happens when people hear but do not listen. It is easy to hear what someone says but to listen you have to be "Actively Listening". The first video I think was funny but it demonstrates what happens when there are two meangs of words. It is easy to see what happens when a person is not really listening or asking questions to gain a better understanding of what the person wants or is saying. 
      The second video I wanted to choke the crap out of the clinical worker. First of all if the patient was not feeling depressed, she should have been after that encounter. The clinical worker was anything but sensitive or remotely listening to the patient. She was distracted and was acting as a calious jerk. 
      See when someone half listens or does not really care about what we are saying they tend to tune us out and vice versa. In the second video the clinician was being aggressively assertive. She was aggressive in how she was dealing with the client. To be actively listening, one is not interrupting or being distracted. In fact, ethically the clinician could loose her job for being unprofessional. 
      In our interactions with others, students and people need to be sensative to the fact that we do not live in bubbles. The world is a much smaller place and it is easy to offend with out intending. There is cultural diversity that is in large corporations, as well as universities. So how one acts reflects on the person or company greatly. Having some idea of who your client or professor or even other students are should help guide you in your actions. For example, in Japan, removing your shoes before entering a restaurant or home is a sign of respect. I believe that if students learn the ethics of behavior, it is really practice for the real world outside college.
      I have been described as the Assertive one. I am always trying to see both sides of the issue and find compromise. I am sensitive to others. This does not mean that I do not speak my mind but I try to do it in a non threatening manner but still get my point across. My one weakness is that I absolutely hate 2 things, 1. I hate people who blow smoke, I would rather someone be honest and just explain that something came up and they could not do something ( that's honest which earns respect) and 2. I hate people who belittle and talk down to someone else. It drives me crazy. The only reason people do that is because they are insecure and having to belittle someone else is how they feel human. That is the fastest way to have me in a confrontation. I do not agree with everyone's views and opinions, but I respect people enough to listen to them so that I can at least see where they are coming from. I am working hard on not letting people being mean get me in a conflict. I have gotten much better over the years, but I know that I will deal with this for the rest of my life.