How Can I Say This...

Ep53: When It Gets Personal (Listener Question with guest Arden Clise)

Oct 18, 2019

Arden Clise, expert in communication and etiquette, joins the host to discuss addressing personal habits without hurting feelings. They explore topics such as confronting table manners, addressing loud talkers in the office, navigating small domestic issues, and dealing with irritating habits and sounds.

25:46

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Episode guests

Arden Clise

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Quick takeaways

When addressing sensitive topics about personal habits, it is important to tread carefully and consider if the habit directly impacts the speaker or others.

Prioritizing relationships over small irritations is crucial, and it is best to let minor annoyances go for the sake of preserving the relationship.

Deep dives

Approaching Sensitive Topics About Personal Habits

This episode explores how to approach sensitive topics related to personal habits. While it may seem trivial, little habits like eating with the mouth open can become distractions that affect relationships. The question raised is how to give feedback about such personal quirks without hurting someone's feelings. The advice given is to tread carefully, as personal habits like eating, dressing, or one's posture are generally off-limits for criticism, especially among family, friends, or colleagues. However, if a medical condition is involved that directly impacts someone, it becomes appropriate to address the issue sensitively and make it about the speaker's experience rather than judgment.

Introduction

3min

Confronting Someone's Table Manners and Personal Presentation

7min

How to Address a Loud Talker in the Office

7min

Navigating Small Domestic Issues and Communication

3min

Dealing with Irritating Habits and Sounds

5min

If we hang around with someone long enough, there are little things that pop up that can distract us from heart of the relationship. It might be the way another person eats, dresses, or even folds the towels. And those might seem trivial – after all, differences or annoyances in those areas aren’t make-or-break issues. But they’re not so trivial when they become distractions that suck up our attention.

Our question this episode: how should we approach sensitive topics that have to do with someone’s personal habits?

This episode focuses on a listener question about giving feedback to someone about a personal quirk. When I read the question, I found myself stumped a bit, so I decided to call on my friend and colleague, Arden Clise. If you’re a regular listener, you might remember her from our conversation in episode 5, which serves as a good companion episode to this one.

Here's the listener question, submitted anonymously:

"How do I tell a member of my family about their eating habit, about eating with their mouth shut without hurting their feelings?"

Hosted by Beth L. Buelow, PCC. More information at www.howcanisaythis.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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How Can I Say This...

Ep53: When It Gets Personal (Listener Question with guest Arden Clise)

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Approaching Sensitive Topics About Personal Habits

Navigating Challenging Communication Issues

Determining When to Address Annoying Habits

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts