Communication

The imparting or exchanging of information or news.

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad…Proverbs 12:25

Sometimes communication can be a fickle pickle.  We know there are going to be times when we have to be the friend who breaks the hard news.

How do we communicate lackluster news or opinions without being that “ratchet” friend?  Y’all know the girl I’m talking about.  Her favorite line is, “I’m just keepin’ it real”.  What’s bad?  At one time or another we’ve all been that girl.

Why though?

Are we toxic?  Are we bad friends?  Are we just not nice people?

I’m gonna go with a hard, NO!

We all want to be honest with our friends.  The hard thing is, we just don’t always know how to be honest without being brutal?  We haven’t taught ourselves how to be honest & build each other up in seemingly negative situations.

For instance, a friend gets a new outfit, texts you a pic of herself in it,  it’s obvious she’s excited about it, & asks, “What do you think?”.  Your first thought is that this is not flattering on her at all.

Now you’re thinking, “Am I honest or nice?”.  Honestly you’re thinking,  “OMG-ness! That’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen…🤣!”, but because she’s your bestie you want to say, “You look amazing in it!”.

Let’s face it, your first thought is just rude & only a toxic friend would say something so mean.  However, what you want to say is not how you believe she looks, so you’d be lying.  Now you’re feeling stuck on what to say.

Before replying, think about it for a minute.  Remember, you love this person, she obviously values your opinion, be honest, & build her confidence.

Since it’s obvious she’s excited about the new outfit, build off of that!

You could say something like, “You look super confident in it”.  This is not only true, but you’re focusing on building her up as a person rather than on how she looks.

This answer is  going to be a happy surprise especially if she’s expecting a comment on her physical appearance.  The extra boost of confidence from you could help her stand a little straighter, making that outfit look like a power suit.  Another benefit of answers like this is that they often eliminate “fishing” questions too.

This week I challenge you to communicate good words that build up your friends, family, & the new people you meet.  You never know, it may be just the word someone needs to change their life 🕊