Communication as a Virtue
Earlier this year I wrote an article about trust as value and I feel as though this is the long lost relative to my original article. While trust is value, there are a few things that are needed to establish trust and communication is the keystone. Virtue is defined as “behavior showing high moral standards” and if communication is to build trust, then it flows that it must have “high moral standards”. As a child, I was taught to return phone calls promptly, to send a thank you card when I received a gift, and to look people in the eye when engaging in a conversation. All of this is basic communication and I feel that, as a society, we have lost sight of the importance of this basic art. In my business, real estate, I am constantly surprised when another agent or a client for that matter thanks me profusely for returning their call, email or text promptly. I am always thinking, isn’t that what I am supposed to do, isn’t that just basic manners? Sort of like opening doors for ladies or giving up my seat to the elderly. Sadly that does not seem to be the norm anymore. Surveys by the National Association of Realtors show that the number one complaint of the public when it comes to real estate agents is a lack communication. How we go to this point, I am not sure. The advent of technology may have something to do with it. Emails and text messaging have reduced the formality of our conversations to the point that we now respond with the letter K when we mean okay. I am guilty as charged when it comes to that. Many times emails do not even have a salutation to begin the email, it just starts right into the subject matter and plows ahead. When was the last time you received a hand written card or note? We are much more likely to save a nice card or note than an email. I don’t think I have ever printed and saved an email, no matter how nicely written. Trust can never be built without consistent, honest or proper communication. Communication is the foundation upon which trust is built. Think of any situation in life and it holds true. Parent to child, business to business, the government to the governed, and real estate agent to client, communication is key to building trust. If I tell my client that I am going to be holding open houses, marketing their property and doing all I can to get it sold, yet fail to consistently communicate the progress they are going to get frustrated and feel I am not doing my job. They will have a lack of trust in me all due to a lack of communication. I personally believe that the initial stages of learning the importance of communication always begins in the home. That sets the stage for behavior later in life. Yes, it is up to the individual to carry on and apply what he or she was taught as a child, but if you are not taught it in the first place then we have a problem. So write someone you care about a nice note and communicate how you feel. You will brighten your day and as opposed to an email, I bet you that they save it…Cheers
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