Pretty Please

The other day, I was giving my three children a bath. My oldest daughter wanted my son to move over and started yelling at him. Of course, he wouldn’t budge. I suggested that she might want to ask in a different way, explaining that I certainly wouldn’t move for someone who was yelling at me. She then asked him to please move over, which he promptly did.

As often is the case with observing the interactions of children, this got me thinking about how truly important clear, calm communication is, even when it is as simple as getting your brother to move over in the bathtub. Too often today, we forget to engage people in clear, calm communication. It seems we have forgotten how to speak to one another at all, let alone kindly.  Personally I’m tired of talking about, and hearing about, social media. Frankly, I still don’t get why people text instead of picking up the phone and calling someone.  Yeah, yeah, I know it’s quicker and can keep you connected when you’re already occupied with a half-dozen other things, but is the point really to multi-task 24/7?

I’m concerned that, as a society, we are rapidly becoming depersonalized and are losing our “people skills.” Many times you can accomplish far more when you talk in person with someone than if you send an e-mail that sits in an inbox collecting cyber-dust.

Everybody knows that good communication skills are a requirement for success, right? This includes not only conveying your message, but listening and exchanging simple “niceties.”  In today’s world of Twitter and Facebook, we are more connected than ever. The question is, what are we connecting about? I’m afraid that technology is stripping us of basic interpersonal communication skills.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I do believe there is a time and a place for all the new social media outlets, but never underestimate the importance of personal relationships, the command of a human voice, and the supreme power of “please” and “thank-you.”

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