I already knew that...

Have you ever come across this statement before? Were you the one that said it? Was it someone who said it to you? Did you know that this is considered a killer statement in communication terms?

Think about it... You have information that you want to share with a person, or a group; then someone says "I already knew that." That means (if you allow it) that you have been shut down/off. Not only that, the learner or receiver of knowledge has just closed them off to learning possible new information.

If this was the case "I already knew that" then why does medicine that heals one day, kills the next. Take the wonder birth control pill Yaz! It was created to help women on so many levels, only to find out a year later it was killing those same women. Apparently someone along the way shut down communication.

What would we benefit for an opportunity for "hind sight 20/20" by just listening to the person talking to us? Even if we already knew what they were talking about, because do we really know what they are about to say. Assuming is the second killer of communication.

The next time you find yourself about to make this comment, stop! Become an active listener; maybe you can pat yourself on the back for already having the knowledge. You might find that the person is giving you MORE information. Information that could be valuable in the end....

Listen to your fellow human, you never know what you are going to hear next....