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Why Didn't You Say That in the First Place: How to Be Understood at Work (Jossey-Bass Management) 1st edition by Heyman, Richard (1994) Hardcover

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No existe nada más improductivo y frustrante que no poder hacerse entender dentro del altera el humor, desgastaa energías y provoca errores, atrasos, altercados. ¿Hay manera de solucionar este problema

Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

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Richard Heyman

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163 reviews9 followers
October 7, 2013
This book was on a topic that was very interesting to me, but it’s a little dated (written in 1994) and the author really likes using buzzwords which can get a little old. Three of his favorite terms to use are:
Ethnomethodology-the study of people’s methods for making sense of each other (9)
Indexical-the meaning of language depends on the context in which it’s used (22)
Reflexive-the context depends on the meaning of the language (22)
The author goes into why we interpret things differently and gives examples of how people with different backgrounds interpret things differently. Some examples (Chapter 1) go into how if you give too much detail, people are often insulted and think you’re calling them stupid, but if you give too little detail, it creates an awkward situation where they don’t understand but have to ask for clarification in order to understand what is being discussed. The tricky balance between too much and too little detail is an important one. Another important idea is the need to welcome questions and foster an environment where people seek clarification when they need it and don’t just continue with a misunderstanding (Chapter 6). Part of the burden is on the person who is speaking to realize that they possibly could have communicated the idea in a more digestible format.
Overall, this wasn’t exactly a revolutionary book, but a quick read that had good reminders about misunderstanding, and how a good attitude about helping people understand your ideas and an environment that encourages clarification of ideas without making people feel inadequate will often yield the best results. It helps reinforce the idea that other people can’t read your mind any better than you can read theirs.


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