About Us
It was killing me
I had not spoken with her in four months. And… I should have known better! It was an Email that started the rift between us. An Email!
Email does not offer an UNSEND option. Or a font that says “I’m hurt by what you said.” No warning message that says, “Do you REALLY want to send this?”
My best friend was angry about something I said a few weeks earlier. Out of the blue she sent me an email challenging me with questions about what I said and why. Instead of considering her perspective and apologizing, I decided to justify my actions – responding back with an email. (Mistakes #1 and 2) She then replied to my reply. And so on until we had each sent several messages full of anger and harsh words. (Mistake #3) We were both hurt and stubborn. So we didn’t communicate for weeks that turned into months. (Mistake #4)
I had been missing our conversations and with a 4-hour drive ahead of me, I wanted to rectify this. I called and left her a voice message that I would be in the car for several hours and would like to talk. She called me, admitted that she had planned to reach out to me that very day, and we both apologized for hurting each other. That was four months of conversations that I missed because I thought I was right. There were many communication lessons in this story, but I had to learn them the hard way.
Lessons learned
Even though this was a personal misunderstanding it could easily occur (or be avoided) in business. Lessons learned:
- 1. When someone disagrees or criticizes you, try to look at the situation from their point of view - Is something else affecting their attitude or anger right now? Is there a possibility you did something to provoke it?
- 2. If you did contribute to a disagreement, admit it and apologize. Apologies won’t always resolve the situation but they can help diffuse it.
- 3. Understand that you cannot win an argument. Even if you “prove” that you acted correctly, the other person may feel embarrassed, angry, or resentful toward you. Working with this person in the future will be more difficult.
- 4. And do not try to resolve a disagreement through email. If someone writes while angry or frustrated the reader may “hear” a lot of unintended things from the words. Sometimes one on one communication is the only way to resolve a disagreement.
Meet The Team
Charlotte Berry
CEO / The Communication Advantage
With over 15 years of experience in technical sales support, product management, and business ownership, Charlotte Berry is known for her high-energy and problem-solving approach. Her ability to juggle multiple projects is matched only by her excellent communication skills.
Always eager to learn, she has further honed her expertise through extensive product management training, which is serving her well as CEO of The Communication Advantage. In addition to her professional attributes, she shines as a relationship builder, critical thinker, and a believer in cross-functional collaboration.
Charlotte is a seasoned presenter and a strong team leader, but she’s also personable, admitting that her dog occasionally wins her affection over her friends and sometimes even her family. Away from work, she loves to explore her creativity in the kitchen and maintains her passion for math, a testament to her analytical thinking. Embracing the challenge of building communication bridges and relationship building in corporate America, she exemplifies the joy of combining hard work with a genuine love for what you do.
Meet The Team
Charlotte Berry
CEO / The Communication Advantage
With over 15 years of experience in technical sales support, product management, and business ownership, Charlotte Berry is known for her high-energy and problem-solving approach. Her ability to juggle multiple projects is matched only by her excellent communication skills.
Always eager to learn, she has further honed her expertise through extensive product management training, which is serving her well as CEO of The Communication Advantage. In addition to her professional attributes, she shines as a relationship builder, critical thinker, and a believer in cross-functional collaboration.
Charlotte is a seasoned presenter and a strong team leader, but she’s also personable, admitting that her dog occasionally wins her affection over her friends and sometimes even her family. Away from work, she loves to explore her creativity in the kitchen and maintains her passion for math, a testament to her analytical thinking. Embracing the challenge of building communication bridges and relationship building in corporate America, she exemplifies the joy of combining hard work with a genuine love for what you do.
