A Short Dissertation of a Dialogue or the Lack Thereof (First Draft)

Most of the time, grievances are caused by mere miscommunication. Person A thinks this while Person B thinks that. If one of them doesn’t get what they expected, that is called a misunderstanding. This is brought about either by having different plans, by a deviation from a set plan or probably the total absence of a plan. As much as possible, anyone would like to avoid such un-agreeable circumstances, which may lead to a gloomy atmosphere much worse, heart-rending endings.

A good way to avoid such miscommunications or misunderstandings is by expectation setting. In an event that involves two or more people, be it immense or minuscule in scale, expectations should be guided by the agreement of all parties involved with the intention that no one is given the short end of the stick. In other words, setting expectations is a shared, communal, mutual agreement between concerned participants of any events that, again, involves two or more people.

With this in mind, you, as well as the other people or parties involved, are better equipped to handle any unfavourable event, any misguiding or any obstacles at hand. With aligned expectations, the event is more tangible and will produce better results that are favourable to all parties involved. It allows for better resolution and a smoother execution of a said event. Much more, it does not allow for misguided opinions to be formed that may entail to negative judgements or statements that in the end may deem hurtful to all parties.

Now, in the occurence that an event already happens with the lack of expectation setting, the beauty of it all is that it is rarely irreconcilable or amendable. Communication is the key to damage control. Any person or party involved is usually open to reconciliation, understanding, settlement or compromise. It usually involves though that the person or party at fault oftentimes has to perform an action sympathetic or complimentary to the person or party faulted but, that’s besides the point. In any case, a dialogue, agreement, communication between two parties helps alleviate and control any hurt or cause of distress. It allows the other person or party to understand the basis and give own insight with regards to the matter at hand or the matter that has passed. It gives chance for a reconnect between two parties or persons. It may not bring back trust fully or right away but at least it settles any bad judgement and creates space to be civil and probably back on track.

In short, before an event takes place, it is best to set expectations through dialogue or communication so that everyone’s ideas and thoughts are aligned and fair. In any case that it is not done, an amicable way to settle this is again through communication wherein the faulted is made able to understand the other’s actions – It may not be what they would want to hear, but at least they’ll have a better understanding. If indeed all lines are severed, there is, at the very least, closure.

(to be continued...)