Ki Moments Blog

Support for life’s “key” moments.

Showing posts in the category “Communication”

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  • January 24, 2025

    The Next Right Decision

    The Next Right Decision

    Each January, I ask myself what I'm hoping for in the year ahead, what personal conflicts I want to resolve, relationships I want to nurture. And I imagine how the year might unfold.

    If you're like me, some energy is probably flowing more freely in this new year, while certain relationships and life situations could benefit from more clarity, more honesty, and more freedom....

  • June 1, 2024

    The Difficult Conversation Revisited

    The Difficult Conversation Revisited

    How often do I revisit what I teach? Almost every day.

    When the difficult, courageous, crucial, purposeful or just plain hard-to-hold conversation is imminent, I get out my "Checklist", tips, and resources. I call supportive friends and get to work on myself--looking inward to see what makes "this" one different, challenging, and off-putting.

    I know I'm not the only one who's tentative about these conversations. In fact, most recently I've noticed a plethora of articles on the subject, which all pretty much say the same thing.

    I'm revisiting the topic today with a few of the most common coaching suggestions....

  • May 1, 2024

    Light

    Light

    I had the good fortune recently to be reminded of Amanda Gorman's poem, "The Hill We Climb". At 22, Gorman was the youngest person ever to deliver a poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration as Joe Biden amd Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President. 

    These are tumultuous times, and we/I -- I'll speak for myself -- have days when I fear for my country's future and it's ability to recover from innumerable onslaughts, both internal and external.

    "The Hill We Climb" brought hope today, and I share it here. If you like, you can watch again the Amanda Gorman's beautiful delivery on the Library of Congress website....

  • April 1, 2024

    The Difficult, Challenging, Courageous, Uncomfortable Conversation

    The Difficult, Challenging, Courageous, Uncomfortable Conversation

    While I've written often over the years about the kind of conversations many of us put off (or never have) because it's just too hard, I believe wholeheartedly (and know from experience) that these tough conversations are the ones we need to have the most. If held well, they can build or rescue a relationship, find an elegant solution to a knotty problem, and even be energizing and thought-provoking....

  • February 1, 2024

    Seeing Things as They Are

    Seeing Things as They Are

    My husband called me to the kitchen window a few days ago and asked me what I thought was attached to (and hanging from) the squirrel's nest in the bushes that line our driveway. It looked like a dead rabbit, but it couldn't be, right? Too heavy! We stared at the thing for several minutes trying to understand what we were seeing. Then it moved--Woh! Could it be a live rabbit? A squirrel? Something else? 

    The bush is only ten yards from the window but we couldn't figure it out.

  • August 1, 2023

    Unresolvable Conflict? Maybe It’s You

    Unresolvable Conflict? Maybe It’s You

    Have you ever tried to resolve a conflict where one of the parties wasn't all that interested in resolution? Maybe it was you.

    Perhaps you acted as if you wanted to find resolution and said all the right things: 

    • “Let’s find a way to move forward”
    • “I know we can work this out.” 

    Maybe you did your best to adopt an inquiring stance, saying things like,

    • “Please tell me how you see it.”

    But nothing seemed to work because you weren’t really that interested if it meant you had to change—and so you didn’t commit to the process.

  • May 1, 2023

    Talking Together: Setting Up Successful Conversations

    Talking Together: Setting Up Successful Conversations

    It seems that "difficult" conversations are par for the course these days. And even the conversation that starts out easy can turn on a dime. We're all a little on guard, a little careful, in our choice of words, timing, and topics we agree to talk about.

    A popular download from my website is an article I wrote 15 years ago called "We Have to Talk: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Difficult Conversations". The Checklist is popular, and I realize after reading it again that I could have added a few more helpful tips, such as setting up the conversation for success, respecting time, and choosing a supportive location. I hope the following will help you hold a conversation that perhaps you've been putting off in a way that supports all parties.

  • April 1, 2023

    Curiosity Revisited

    Curiosity Revisited

    Indeed.

    I visit curiosity often in these posts. Curiosity--a key communication skill that helps us manage our ki (energy) in times of stress, struggle, and conflict.

    One of my favorite curiosity stories was written back in August, 2013: "I'd Actually Have to Be Curious!" I was reminded of the story recently when my husband said: "I'm just curious," and asked me a question like, "What makes you want to do it that way?

  • February 1, 2023

    How to Be A Better Listener

    How to Be A Better Listener

    I was walking with a friend who said she'd been having trouble sleeping. I listened for a bit and then began to share some practices I thought would be helpful when she wakes up in the middle of the night. We're good friends and our relationship weathered this advice-giving diversion on my part. She told me she appreciated the intervention, but what she really wanted was for me to hear her frustration. 

    Have you ever "shifted" a conversation to yourself and your story when you thought you were empathizing, helping, or adding relevance? ...

  • December 1, 2022

    Death As An Ally

    Death As An Ally

    Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

    —Mary Oliver**

    Something there is that doesn't love a wall....

    --Robert Frost*

    I have been gifted recently with opportunities to think about life, what life is about and for, and what I in particular am here to do with my "one wild and precious life." 

    This past year a good, good friend died too young, a close family member became quite ill, another is aging physically and emotionally, and yet another is suffering grief over an ailing child....

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