Communication Skills in Action

     As I began to think about someone in my life that exibits effective communication skills, one spcial person comes to mind.  It is actually my current supervisor.  When I started working with Angie, I noticed right away that she was different from any other person that I have worked under.  At first, I thought that maybe she was putting on a front and would change as time went on, but 8 years later, she is still the same. I have never seen a person that could tell someone off in such a polite way that the person never even realized it.  I have watched her at meetings and I have observed how she would word her emails.  During meetings, she was a listener.  She was very careful to listen to all of the facts before giving an opinion or idea.  She was very respectful even during heated meetings, valuing each persons inpute.  And if someone sent an angry email to her, she would standing her ground but her response would be so well written that the people would often apoligize for their angry actions. 
     I have watched Angie do this so often that I began to follow in her footsteps. One day I decided to ask her about it. That's when she told me that she had a mentor that she admired that did taught her those important lessons and she basically patterned herself after her mentor.  That's when she quoted this old saying, "It is not always what you say, it's how you say it" then she said and "I really believe that".  For me, I also believe that saying and another one that my grandmother used to say, "You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar."