Attitude makes a major difference in how we connect during conversation and Communications. Variations in tone, pitch, and volume changes what is heard, how it's processed, and whether a connection is made or broken.

Recently while teaching a class in Ohio several things happen that gave me pause. 

One attendee came into class and said "I'm here for the be nice Class." 

Another attendee said "I was sent here because I was told you can't call people a dumb ass anymore"

This is a class on communicating with diplomacy, and obviously by these two remarks, it shows that these two people really needed the class. 

Imagine working with someone like that all day. That attitude can keep can create very bad relationships, cause poor morale, communication breakdown, and destroy team spirit.

Good help is hard to find

One of the attendees explained that he interviewed 45 people while trying to fill two jobs. I found that really interesting. Since the news media has so often said of late, that companies are having a hard time finding people to fill jobs. AS I watched the unemployment rate going up, I wondered what could be the trouble? I found out from my attendee.

He said that he interviewed 45 people for two jobs at his plant, and offered the job to six different people. Now remember he only has two positions to fill. 

Six times in a row the potential employee failed the drug test.

Other attendees were not surprised. They said "yeah that's a problem here in Ohio."

On three separate occasions, the word "school" was misspelled on the road in a school zone. In South Carolina, Miami, and Kalamazoo, Michigan work done be subcontractors was done poorly.  

I understand why so many are unemployed. Anti-intellectualism is at an all time high, few people read anymore, and only stupid stuff gets our attention.

Is anybody safe anymore?

One attendee spend a lot of time on the phone during the class. I pretended not to notice because she was so interactive and participated during the program. The next morning I found out what was going on.

She is in charge of many school buses in the Ohio area and she spent the day on the phone because of a drunk school bus driver. Here's what she told me:

The school bus driver was drunk and a student had to come up to the front of the bus and tell her how to get to the school.

The school bus hit a truck, ran up on the sidewalk, almost hit some teachers, and crashed into some cars. 

The bus driver got out of the bus and ran away. She may be drunk, but she was smart enough to escape while she could.

"Did you see it on the news this morning? That's what I was doing all morning yesterday when you saw me all stepping out of the seminar, answering the phone, and texting." That's why we have always trained at least one student on the school bus to call 911 in case of an emergency. That's just part of our our safety process.

Now I want you to imagine that you're putting your child on a school bus sending them off to school in the morning, and then watching on the news, or hearing about this drunken school bus driver.

My students reminded me that "yeah, that's a problem here in Ohio."

It's no wonder people don't know how to talk the talk to each other.

That explains why the communications class is so important.

These types of stressful situations can definitely cause your tone, pitch, and volume to change what you say, into something you did not intend.

With the right training, however, you can take control of situations such as these, turn things around, and have positive, productive, and successful interactions at home and at work.

If you would like to schedule of my communication training programs for your team, just contact me at Yvonne@JADcommunications.com.

Your comments, as always, are welcome.

Connect to me on Facebook: Yvonne's Facebook Page 

Connect to me on LinkedIn: LinkedIn Page