Do you consider yourself to be a good listener? how do you show other people you’re listening to them? read this description of communication problems. to what extent does it reflect your experience?
according to roger fisher and william ury in their book getting to yes, there are three major problems in communication. firstly, people may not be talking to each other. frequently, each side has given up on the other and is no longer attempting any serious communication.
secondly, people don’t pay enough attention to what other people say. then there are misunderstandings which are compounded when people speak different languages.
the solution they propose is to listen actively; acknowledge what is being said and question your assumptions. understanding is not agreeing, but unless you can show that you grasp how the other person sees things, you may be unable to explain your point of view to them. you therefore maximise the chance of having a constructive dialogue.
The wagon train departed bright and early this morning. I was disappointed that I had to tell
my friends goodbye, but I had chosen to remain here in Denver. By that point, we had already been
traveling for several long months. I was sorry to leave St. Louis, but I heard there was gold in
California. It was June when we had first left St. Louis and it was October when we got to Denver. I
had made the difficult decision that I would not be continuing onward with the rest of the families on
the wagon train.
When we left St. Louis, we were extremely excited, because we were planning on traveling all
the way to the ocean. We would journey to California. But that was not to be for my family.
Almost immediately, we stumbled upon the first major problem of our trip. Our very first day
on the road, a wheel flew right off of our wagon. The wheel was badly cracked, which meant we
were unable to repair the damage ourselves. Since we were not terribly far from St. Louis at that
point, John rode all the way back there on his horse. He returned to the wagon train with a brand
new wheel; however, that took nearly an entire day while the other families waited.
After that, we struggled with yet another problem. There was an awful rainstorm, and with it
came so much mud that the oxen pulling our wagons were unable to get the wagons moving again.
We had to wait for the rain to stop completely and for the mud to dry before we could continue
onward. Because of this, we lost an additional two days.
We were unbelievably exhausted and it had been a mere two weeks, but we kept on traveling.
Unfortunately, we then had to stop once more because the Brown family fell ill. We waited a few
days for them to recover, but they eventually gave up and turned back.
Every single day, we faced very difficult work, but we still persevered. Nevertheless, by the
time we arrived in Denver it was just too much to handle. We had decided then that we were going
to leave the wagon train. That night, we informed the wagon master of our plans.
The wagon master asked us to change our minds, and told us, “We’ve overcome the worst,
now.” However, I knew our trip would certainly not be getting any easier. The mountains we had
just crossed were only the beginning. It had already been such hard work to get where we were now,
and I knew it would be even more difficult to reach the ocean in California. That is when we decided
the best option was to remain here in Denver.
Today, I have gone off to hunt for a new job. There are several jobs in the mines, and I hope to
fill one of the positions. Then, we will be able to get our own home. I am extremely thankful that
living in a tent beside the covered wagon is over. Instead, we will have a permanent place where we
can live.
Although I will greatly miss my friends, I will not miss all the troubles and hardships we
endured. I wrote a letter to a friend I made on the trip. I wanted him to know we are doing well
although I miss him.
them to find out more information. Teachers advise teens to think of making decisions
but to consider all the opportunities and to deside what they really want, besides they
recommend teens to discuss their choices with their parents.