How many times have I seen the gestures of a loved one or colleague and then struggled privately to uncover what it all really meant? How many times have I done everything possible but ask directly? How often do I refuse to be direct: not saying what I mean, not showing what I feel, not letting the life around me really touch me?

One of the most serious roadblocks to effective interpersonal communication (and, by default, organizational communications effectiveness) is that most people are terrible at dealing with any kind of difficult or stressful conversation. Whether at work, at home, or just trying to navigate in the world, people are faced with numerous situations that

In fact, the gap between what you’re really thinking and what you’re saying is part of what makes a conversation difficult. You’re distracted by all that’s going on inside. You’re uncertain about what’s okay to share, and what’s better left unsaid. And you know that just saying what you’re thinking would probably not make the conversation any easie