In an effort to be direct, we can sometimes dial up the intensity too much in our communication.
We reason that because the message is important to us, then the other person could only understand our position if we hammer home our point.
Unfortunately when this happens, we go from being direct to being hard. And that’s not fun for anyone.
The irony is that in trying to be direct, we actually become the opposite, because the focus shifts from what we’re trying to say, to how we’re trying to say it.
You don’t need intensity to be direct.
In fact, directness is more about the purity of the message.
It’s sharing an insight in its simplest form, such that the other person easily understands what you’re saying.
So the next time you want to be direct, try channelling more softness than hardness and see how well your message is received.
.