05 Jan Social Fluidity
The Evening Standard wrote a brilliant did a piece on the importance of social fluidity: the ability to speak confidently to a member of the royal family, as well as the capacity to be able to have a good chat with your local handyman. In a world that is so diverse in culture and people, it is essential to be able to adapt our communication skills to suit everyone that we meet.
My grandfather lived a very colourful life. He had stories that would blow your mind, giving Hollywood screen writers a run for their money. He spent his days in the 1930s mixing with xx , and his evenings tangoing with the posh elitist crowds. When he retired and grew older, he would spend many of his days in coffee shops chatting with a policeman, bank managers and entrepreneurs. Everyone knew Jo and everyone loved him. My gramps had Social fluidity.
Contrary to gramps, I sat next to a guy on a train the other day who began to strike up a conversation with me. My delight quickly turned into concern as he warned me about the ethnic criminals that travel on this particular train line, and considering that I am a vulnerable woman, I may want to be aware! The dude didn’t know who I was, nor did he have any interest in knowing me, but within a period of 10 minutes, he managed to insult me and ¾ of the world without even noticing he had done anything wrong! The guy had his head up his arse.
Communication skills mean that you are able to adapt your manner with whomever you are speaking to, discussing relevant topics with all, not just the people that you feel comfortable with. A good speaker is aware that her life is one of billions and so is her point of view.
Thanks for visiting,
JT