Respectful Communications In The Workplace: Making Assumptions

Week 3 in Seeing Good At Work is about making assumptions, a topic I love exploring. This morning I remembered a list of ten rules for respectful communication that Charles W. Christian wrote up in 1999 to support himself in his role as a new, young pastor of a church.

I can see how those same rules apply in the workplace, particularly the one that invites co-workers to be careful with their interpretations. Here is what Christian writes: Be careful how you interpret me—I'd rather do that. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misinterpret intentions. I will be careful how I interpret you.

I appreciate that he doesn't write "I wont interpret you" but instead commits to being careful with something we do all the time, interpret each other. It's relieving to admit that I interpret people a lot of the time and that relief allows me to exercise caution in my communication and do whatever I can to reduce the assumptions that arise when I don't check whether what I am thinking is accurate or not.

Later in his list, Christian invites his community to ask when uncertain. That's been my saving grace in the workplace and in private relationships: ask.