Horses for courses in communication
Being seen and heard are fundamental human needs. If we are skilled enough to get those needs met through forms of communication that don’t require us to be present face to face, then we are lucky.
Listening to a podcast featuring two authors recently, it dawned on me that I would not have been interested to meet one of them in person, even though I have read several of his novels.
When this author spoke, his voice and the thoughts he expressed made me feel awkward. Obviously those feelings had more to do with my own hang ups than anything about him, but I had to acknowledge the way I felt.
I am glad I read his books, thereby gaining access to his rich imagination, but I’m not sure I would go out of my way to read another one from him, now that I have a picture in my mind of what he is like in person.
Aren’t personal warmth and charisma interesting themes to examine, with regard to effective communication and social connection?
