We all like to engage in two-way conversations. How do we decide who shares first? If we both have a situation that we would like address, let the person share who is the most anxious to share. That person would be the lease likely to actively listen to another person. We know it is polite to let the other person go first; yet, we get caught up on our situation and not give the person sharing our undivided attention.
Suggestive Talking Scale. This is a way within our conversation we can decide who speaks first. We can use a zero to ten scale as follows:
Zero-no feelings of anxiousness
One-two -calmness
Three-four-relaxed
Five-I need to share
Six-seven-feeling anxious needs some help
Eight-Nine-I need some answers or excited about sharing
Ten-I cannot wait, I am emotional and cannot listen effectively
Remember before you share, seek God’s guidance on when, what, where, and how to share
“Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13: 3 NIV).
