An Effective Communicator

Although, there are many politicians and celebrities who by profession must have at least reasonable communication skills; one of the greatest communicators in my life was my mother, Linda Starnes.  My mother was not a great public speaker; however, our family depended on her communication for survival.  She was a wonderful listener and was always willing to listen to us no matter what was going on in her own personal life.  In fact, whether she gave suggestions or not, the simple act of listening always appeared to make the problem better or at least more manageable.  Although, my mother never took any communication courses growing up with six siblings and then having four children and three grandchildren of her own taught her a lot about communication.  My mother rarely gave direct pieces of advice but was a “sounding board” as you gave ideas to try to solve your problem.  Nearly every time you finished a conversation with her, you left feeling better not only about the problem but about yourself.  I would love to have her “communication technique” because it always left you feeling validated and respected.