Episode #122: Built With Love – Your Communication

We’ve talked in our Built With Love series about your product, marketing, culture, and leadership.  Today we’re talking about something that’s foundational to all – relationships.  Imagine how beautiful the world would be if all our relationships were built with love.  You can start to build that world right where you are.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – What Did My Heart Say?

Random Riffs – When Two Hearts Collide

Feature Segment – Built With Love – Your Communication

Today’s Quote

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.  –George Bernard Shaw

Rhythm of Life – What Did My Heart Want?

I’m writing a new song.  It’s theme is that little things are what we really love about other people.  I finish it, and then am not sure if I like it.  There’s something that seems wrong.  So I meet with my songwriting coach to review it.

It turns out the reason I think there’s something not quite right is because there is.  I make an abrupt emotional turn that doesn’t keep going in that direction.  It changes directions again only a few lines later.

I had to decide which way I was going to go with the song.  Either make that change and stay there, or don’t go there at all.

There are 3 lessons we can learn from my experience.  Listen to the episode to hear what they are.

Random Riffs – When Two Hearts Collide

From the totally random archives of my memory, a scene from Gilbert & Sullivan’s Ruddigore popped into my head.  As you listen, remember this: your heart isn’t always foolproof.  To discern what is really your heart, it takes quiet.  Stillness.  Don’t act right away.  Put it to the test.  Listen to the episode to hear more.

Feature Segment: Built With Love – Your Communication

I found so many books on my bookshelf about communication.  All seemed to focus on one skill.  And yet so often it’s not those skills that are causing communication to suffer.  No, it’s more that we aren’t communicating with love.

What makes a great culture, product, or relationship?  Great communication.  One would think it should be natural, and yet it doesn’t seem to be.

Imagine if all communication was built with love.  What would the world be like?  Full of life.

What prevents communication with love?  To a large degree, our own pain and fear. That we’ve overcome with varying degrees of success.

How does it look to communicate with love?

• Whole-hearted and vulnerable vs. armor.


• Understanding and empathy vs. judgement.


• Kindness vs. bullying.


• Honesty vs. hiding.

Principles to communicating with love

1. Deal with your own stuff.

Take a listen to these old episodes to hear more about this.

Episode 034

Episode 036

1. Love them as they are. Not how you wish they were.  Or like you are.


2. Listen. Listen. Listen.


3. Uphold a high standard of truth

You can say something that’s true and it isn’t the truth.  The truth goes deeper.

Communicating with love requires sacrifice on our parts.  Sacrifice of our time, agenda, or ego.

Don’t do because it pays you.  Do it because it’s right.

The letter to the Romans in the Bible says this: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  That starts by communicating with love.

Communication is the undercurrent to everything we do and say. Do it in love.
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Built With Love Series

115  – Built With Love

116 – What is Love?

117 – Your Team

118 – Your Culture

119 – Your Product

120 – Your Marketing

121 – Your Relationships

The post Episode #122: Built With Love – Your Communication first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.