6. Appreciating and Benefiting from Communication Differences

While traveling by train some months ago, I overheard four people talking. Three of them were soft-spoken and reserved, while the fourth, an engaging and energetic conversationalist, spoke loudly and dominated the conversation. She earned a mention in this book when I heard her say to one of her companions: “You have a lot of ideas for such a quiet man.”

Have you ever fallen victim to this misconception—that a quiet person lacks ideas? It’s an easy mistake to make. After all, if a person has ideas, he or she would share them, right? Well, not necessarily.

Virginia Satir observed that we connect with one another based on our similarities and that we grow based on our differences. But ...

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