Words with Friends

I have a love of words and have for as longs as I can remember. I love playing with words or word play which is actually a play on words.  If you have ever told or laughed at a “that’s what she said joke” you witnessed a “double entendre”. A double entendre is a figure of speech or particular wording that is devised to be understood in either of two ways.

I was recently having a conversation about communication and I would learn quickly that I was out of my element. You see I like to converse about a variety of subjects and I have been told I can be long winded like a Baptist minister. I can talk endlessly about sports or life lessons but, I learned I was not always communicating or being an effective communicator.  Communication is defined as the verbal/non verbal exchange of information that requires a response.

I think we all could agree that being an effective communicator means conveying an articulate message with easy to follow directives.  In addition an effective communicator needs to listen showing verbal and nonverbal cues. The cues if used properly ease the speaker therefore he/she communicates openly and honestly. After receiving the information the receiver  needs to respond in a way that affirms the speaker i.e repeating the information back to him/her.

If you know anyone that is married they will tell you that marriage is difficult especially the first year.  In the opening scene we find Whitley waking up early in the morning to brush her teeth so Dwayne will be affectionate. In the episode Whitley continues sending subliminal message to Dwayne before  turning to talk show host Montell Williams for advice. In the end she turns to her  friends  before finally opening up to Dwayne.

I can attest to being passive aggressive at times and also simply  not being a good active listener.  I also can attest to speaking with friends/family instead of the person that I have the issue with. At the end of the episode like in life we learn that genuine care, concern and selflessness goes along way in the art that is communication.

The episode in its entirety brings to light poor communication practices  that are displayed in  relationships. I used Dwayne and Whitley as an example for interpersonal conflict more so than men vs women.  I chuckle as I advise this blog was not intended to solve the conundrum that is man/female communication.