Here’s an email I received from Lee Braddock recently. It’s about that many people never actually "communicate" with one another but many people "talk" with one another.

There’s a big difference!

Here’s what Lee wrote:

Sean,
I read this last message concerning, Subject:  Do You Really Listen?.  I teach a course in Effective Communication/Relationship Skills and these are some of the same skills I teach.  I also have authored a book on personal development.  Isn’t it depressing that as we go through school, college, church, and then we enter the working world that people truly believe they communicate well.  I believe it is because we have gone to school and that "talking" is an accepted practice.  I have attempted several time to place my courses into junior colleges and in adult learning and powers to be in the areas of higher learning feel that the course I teach has little or no benefit. 

We are taught how to read, to write a sentence, a paragraph, even essays, but we are not taught how to effectively communicate with one another.
We are not taught how communicate our feelings to another, which is vitally important to sustain any kind of relationship.  We are taught how to preform math equations, but we are not taught how to effectively problem solve, nor are we taught how to properly decision make.

We have always been told that one should play fair and with sports, this is used to teach one to be completive, and to have good sportsmanship, but we are taught how to have a health relationship.  We are not taught how or why to be creative, or to respect oneself, or for that matter respect others.  These are the things I teach and I simply want to say that your information is wonderful, thank you.
Respectfully,
Lee Braddock, MA