The Power of Using Upfront Agreements to Improve Personal Relationships
As we strive to navigate power inequities, an upfront agreement can level the playing field.
Many of us are doing our best to raise our social consciousness and be considerate of one another as our culture finds its way to a new normal. On almost every important subject, we’re working to create space for differences of opinion and finding a new middle ground (or not). Thanks to the pandemic, we’re doing much of this online or within our little bubbles, and we face communication constraints that have made navigating our differences even more difficult.
Social media is an outlet, but it’s difficult to know who and what to trust. And that’s just the beginning. By their very nature, social media platforms don’t foster conversation. They’re designed to encourage polarity, controversy, or trolling. Finally, they work to strip away our decency with manners, etiquette, and kindness rarely associated with Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and others.
For folks who rely on non-verbal communication, body language barely exists as we live behind masks and screens, never sure if what we’re seeing is what was intended. Let’s face it, in a pandemic world, everyday human communication is a minefield.
