Exciting news!  I’m pitching myself headlong into my next book project. This means I’m immersing myself in reading, research, interviews, observing what’s going on around me and in the media, and (per an earlier blog) digging through The Plastic Bins filled with notes, files, and Really Good Stuff I’ve collected and curated over the years.

One golden nugget I found yesterday that just screamed to me as blog-worthy is a little handout shared by fellow author / speaker / consultant, Sylvia A. Stern. (Talk about a wise, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is gem of a person, friend, and mentor!) The nugget is called “The 6 Dimensions of Communication.”  I’ve shared it below.

Like me, you might think, “Wow! Is it any wonder conversations and other forms of interaction can get so totally messed up and relationships can slide right off the rails, sometimes before they even begin!”

Here goes. “The 6 Dimensions of Communication”

(Note: I’ve taken the liberty of adding a 7th dimension, which I’ve marked with an asterisk [*].)

• What you mean to say
• What you actually say
• What the other person hears
• What the other person thinks he/she hears
• What the other person means to say*
• What the other person actually says
• What you think the other person says

Goodness. This is complex!  And, yes, it means that when you’re communicating with someone — from your Significant Other to your dentist to the grocery clerk to your best client to the person you’ve just met in the coffee line at Starbucks — this is what’s really going on.

Is it any wonder, then, that it’s so incredibly vital to be clear, intentional, positive, and skillful (yet also sincere and authentic), when you’re out in the world trying to attract, connect with, impress, and build positive relationships with others?

Need a little help here?  Well, naturally, I’m going to recommend my award-winning book The Intentional Networker: Attracting Powerful Relationships, Referrals & Results in Business.   

Already have a copy?  Then do your relationships (and yourself) a favor and buy a copy for someone you know. They’ll thank you for it.

Want proof? Here’s what one reader wrote recently:

“Patti is the best networking expert around. Two people in the past year have told me that I was a great networker, and that is entirely the result of following Patti’s advice. (And for people to compliment an introvert like me on networking is kind of a miracle!)”