The Art of Communication

By Jeff Becraft

This week I had to go to the doctor to get my left ear checked out. After I had signed in, the nurse walks me to the scale and hits a button on the top.

She says to me, “Wait until it zeroes out.”
I stand on the scale.
She says, “Wait until it zeroes out.”
I step off the scale.
While we are waiting for the scale to do its thing and recalculate, I say to her and the lady behind the counter, “You see what my wife lives with.”

We have two dogs and one of them is named Moe. He is 15 years old. He has trouble seeing and hearing (a man after my own heart). You can call him and he doesn’t even turn his head. But if you open up the drawer in the refrigerator that has the cold cuts in it, he is right there. Talk about selective hearing. Well, he is a male dog.

On more than one occasion, a conversation like this will go on between my wife and I:

I will ask a question about something.
“Jeff, I already told you that.”
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“When did you tell me that?”
“I told you that this morning.”
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure you told me that?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”

In relationships, we all know that communication is important. And it is also important to keep in mind what George Bernard Shaw said: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

Jeff Becraft is the Director Emeritus for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. Youth Corps is a life-changing leadership development experience that inspires high school students to be leaders in the Midlands and beyond. You can connect with Jeff at [email protected].