Mom's Moment
January 18, 2009


Engaged/engagement is an interesting word! Sometimes it's a declaration of intent, as in "Amelia and Jared are engaged!" There is a very different feeling when we say "The army was engaged in war." However, the engagement I want to talk about has to do with communication.

Tracy Whelchel's husband works for Mars Corporation. (Did you know they're a HUGE producer of pet food?!?! And I thought they just made candy! Silly me!) Large corporations deal with huge employee (human resource) departments. They have people whose job it is to train employees to do a better job doing the job they were hired to do. (Huh?!)

Anyway, one of the things Mars Corp. does is a great deal of training of their employees to be better communicators. I LIKE that! Communication is so important, and it's not always the easiest thing to do.

Mars says - When you have something important to discuss, the best case scenario is NOT over the phone, or via email, or fax or letter. Important/difficult discussions are much better done in person. Why is that? Here are just a few reasons:

Eye contact - conveys interest/attention without saying a word. It can also indicate understanding or lack of understanding.
Facial Expression - same as above
Body Language - conveys many things not spoken

Undivided attention - When we communicate in person we KNOW if we have a person's undivided attention or not. Over the phone we may not have that understanding, and it can create unnecessary problems. Always be "engaged" in the conversation you are initiating or are participating in.

Offering occasional words of encouragement/or lack of understanding/seeking for clarification all help us understand each other better.

Kyle Ottmann was here for Family Council and for dinner and shared, "If it were a business meeting we would shake the other person's hand; or if it were someone telling us about a death or other personal matter we might want to offer sympathy through a hug." These were two great supporting ideas!!


Anyway, these are just a few of the things that will help each of us be better communicators with each other, and those around us.

P.S. And NEVER, EVER LIE TO YOUR MOTHER!!! It will NEVER improve a situation!! :-)