Civil Communication in Real Life
PIVOT-ing to an easier, more digestible strategy to understand Civil Communication.
The fun part? We still have Civil Dialogue to tackle.
But we’ll save that for another time.
Civil Communication is the foundation to improving our communication skills. Civil Dialogue on the other hand is a tool to implement more productive means of communication. It is a specific format.
But first, back to the basics.
Civil Communication is taking every day conversations, breaking them down, and reflecting on how it impacted yourself and the other persons involved.
Let’s look at some tangible examples -
Instead of "that doesn't make sense, you're stupid" you can ask them to help you understand.
Instead of "absolutely not lol what are you thinking" you can say 'tell me more'
And when you can tell someone else is frustrated and doesn't want to give you the time of day, you can ask them to let you help
Civil Communication can also be an specific act or it can include nonverbal communication such as -
Being on time
Celebrating birthdays, promotions, or workplace anniversaries
Listening without multitasking (aka put your phone down)
If there is one takeaway from this lesson, it is this:
“Communication is speaking what is on your mind, Civil Communication is thinking before you speak”
Do these examples help you understand what Civil Communication looks like? Do you have any examples of your own that made you feel appreciated and understood in the workplace? I’m curious to get your feedback!! Without the help and feedback from my marketing coach, I would not have pivoted to this new, digestible format. Please reach out if you have any thoughts/comments/ questions → jenna@careercivility.com
