"Let's have some resilient fun" shows some important topics in a more relaxed and joyful way. After all, humour is quoted as a desirable characteristic of resilient individuals like us!
Technically correct but not useful
Years ago, I visited a high-end grocery store in Warsaw. They had a wide selection of cheese, beautifully presented and inviting you to try. I asked the shop assistant, "What's the difference between these two?" She looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Price." Technically correct? Absolutely. Useful? About as helpful as a fork for eating soup.
Another time, at the request of a foreign friend, I asked a waiter in a fancy restaurant, "How do you serve your brownie?" She answered, "On a plate." Perfectly correct and yet not very helpful—unless we were planning to eat it off the table.
In both situations the focus on talking (providing an answer) lacked listening (understanding my question) and thinking (considering what information I actually sought).
Do you sometimes give an answer just because you don't want to look stupid? Well, as the old saying goes, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."
The Pitfalls of Imbalance
In a world where everyone's talking but few are listening or thinking, let's explore how balancing these three can not only prevent us from eating soup with a fork but also build our resilience in the face of daily misunderstandings.
We can think of talking, listening, and thinking as the three legs of a stool. Remove one, and you're left sitting on the floor, wondering what went wrong — probably while over-talking about it.
Over-Talking in the Age of Noise
Modern society encourages constant talking—social media posts, endless meetings, 24/7 news cycles. We're all broadcasting our every thought as if the world is hanging on our every word—meanwhile, the world is busy broadcasting right back. As research suggests, the average person speaks enough words in a year to fill about 26 books of 800 pages each (Mehl et al., 2007). That's a lot of words, right?
When speaking dominates, we may not listen or think adequately. The attempt to always be proactive makes us immune to mindful conversation, frustrated with misunderstandings, and missing an informed perspective on reality.
Over-Listening
Over-Talking seems to be the key challenge of modern society, but going too far with listening can also kill a conversation. Excessive listening without engaging can stall interactions. Lean too much on listening without contributing, and you risk turning into a human sponge—absorbing everything but adding nothing.
Overthinking
When you overthink, you're out of the loop in the very moment. Overanalyzing can hinder timely responses. Overdo the thinking, and you might end up in analysis paralysis. At some point, you just have to hit the gas and go!
The Sound of Silence
Before you speak, ask yourself: Is this going to add value, or am I just adding noise?
Don't be afraid of silence. The sound of silence is the sound of listening and thinking; contrary to common belief, it is an essential part of quality communication.
Actionable Insights
For Over-Talkers: Practice active listening by summarizing the other person's points before adding your own.
For Over-Listeners: Set a goal to contribute at least one idea or question in conversations.
For Overthinkers: Implement a "think-time" limit to encourage timely participation.
Conclusion
Next time someone gives you a technically correct but unhelpful answer, smile and think, "Challenge accepted." After all, life is too short to take every miscommunication seriously. As they say, if you can't beat them, confuse them—with kindness and a dash of humor.
In a world where everyone wants to be heard, be the person who listens. In conversations overflowing with words, be the one who thinks before speaking. And when faced with the inevitable communication hiccups, be the one who laughs and moves forward. Because at the end of the day, the most resilient among us are those who can find joy and humor in the chaos of human interaction.
Disclaimer: This post is satirical. Any resemblance to actual management techniques is purely coincidental and frankly, a bit concerning.
If you like this post please join the growing community of forward-thinking readers and sign-up to my newsletter. My weekly posts explore how individuals and organizations adapt and evolve. Gain evidence-based insights to boost resilience across domains.
References
Mehl, M. R., Vazire, S., Ramirez-Esparza, N., Slatcher, R. B., & Pennebaker, J. W. (2007). Are women really more talkative than men? Science, 317(5834), 82.
Note: The study by Mehl et al. recorded the daily conversations of men and women and found that both speak approximately 16,000 words per day. Book lengths can vary significantly, but 220,000 words for an 800-page book is a reasonable estimate for this calculation. This would give roughly 14 days per book and 26 books per year.
Good topic! But it is not that easy to find the right balance between beeing too tolkative, good listener and correctly analitycal. Anyway. - good issue for most of people to think of it, for me as well:-)