Michael is sitting in his car outside his friend Rick’s house, fuming. Last night, Rick said he’d be ready to go fishing at 5 a.m., but he hasn’t answered any of the text messages Michael has sent him since 4:30. There are no lights on inside the house that Michael can see. In fact, the whole neighborhood appears to be sound asleep. Michael would love to honk his car horn and blast Rick awake, but he doesn’t want to disturb Rick’s neighbors. He thinks about ringing the doorbell, but that would wake Rick’s family. So Michael sits and fumes, getting angrier and angrier.
At about 5:30, Rick opens the front door, grabs his gear, and strolls over to Michael’s car. With a cheery “Good morning!” Rick greets his friend. “Ready to catch some fish?”
Michael glares at his friend and says nothing.
What just happened here? Clearly, there was miscommunication between these two friends. What could each of them have done to avoid this situation?
In this lesson, you will learn speaking and listening skills that are essential for healthy relationships. Being able to accurately express your messages and to clearly receive the messages of others is key to avoiding misunderstandings like Michael and Rick’s.
