[HarryH]

FROM THE HEART

Columnist Erma Bombeck once said, "It seems rather incongruous that in
a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a
shortage of listeners." Perhaps that is because many of us suffer from
what communicator Nido Qubein terms "agenda anxiety" -- the feeling
that what we want to say to others is more important than what they
might want to say to us. Sometimes we try to impress rather than
express, not realizing that two monologues do not make a dialogue.

Relationships work when communication works. And communication works
when we listen as well as speak; when we relate from the heart as well
as the head.

In their book Managing From The Heart (Delacorte Press, 1990), the
authors discuss what it means to communicate from the heart. Here are
five principles of "H-E-A-R-T" communication:

H - Hear and understand me.

E - Even if you disagree, please don't make me wrong.

A - Acknowledge the greatness within me.

R - Remember to look for my loving intentions.

T - Tell me the truth with compassion.

The quality of your life will be largely determined by the quality of
your relationships. And it is only with your heart that you will
communicate in ways that matter.