Volume

 

Does it help for anger and frustration to be expressed through increased volume? Do strong leaders become loud to convey important facts? Is yelling truly a better way to communicate urgency? I suggest the answer to all of these questions is no.

 

Yet, despite knowing this, I do not always live that way. It is a very human reaction to “get loud” in certain circumstances. Other than large crowds or great distances, and of course sporting events, what good is loud screaming? The person you are communicating with was probably hearing you just fine before you got emotional and turned up the volume.

 

Sure, voice inflection and some degree of volume change can be used in communicating a message, but outright yelling? Not at all. Communication with excess volume can foster anger and disrespect. It can undermine good leadership. It is demeaning and degrading to the listener. Next time you feel the urge to get loud, pause and ask yourself if it really necessary?

Regarding the Special Edition MMM last week, here are a couple of follow up thoughts on my suggested responses…

Be thoughtful and intentional with social media posts, and be careful about what you believe on those forums.

·   Consider the old adage, “think before you speak”, a similar thought process should be applied to social media posting, “think before you hit enter”.  There is a lot of misinformation out there, as well as just plain useless information.  Impactful social media posts are grounded in facts and well thought out opinions.  We need more of that and less one-word shares of attention getting false information.

Educate yourself with facts from a variety of sources

·      We know that many media sources are full of biases and agendas, as such we need to broaden our sources to gather various viewpoints.  Educating yourself by researching topics and verifying stories takes time, but it is necessary.  Take the time. Educate yourself.

Be blessed…