Before you speak, listen it may change what you say.
“You are master of what you say until you utter it, once you deliver it, you are its captive. Preserve your tongue as you do your gold and money. One word could bring disgrace and the termination of a bliss.”
Are you the queen of putting your foot in your mouth. You say the first thing that came into your head without thinking. Just because you think it doesn’t mean you have to say it.
Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace. ~Buddha
Listen and assimilate before opening your mouth. Your intentions may be good and you'd never deliberately offend or hurt anyone, but it can land you in trouble. Slow down, allow yourself to pause, and you may later realize it doesn’t need to be said at all.
Talking less and listening more. One great way to practice listening is to be more interested and less interesting. When we are more interested in what other people have to say we have time to think before we speak. It puts the power into your own hands to make good decisions and take control of your words. You gain deeper relationships and learn so much more by talking less and listening more.
Observe. For interactions with people, just hold off and listen. There’s no rule that you have to say anything immediately. Notice the thoughts that go through your mind and simply observe them without attachment.
Slowing down just a little will give you the power of pausing and gathering perspective.
“I choose to choose few words each day. Yes! few words that count. Few words that can make impact. Few words that talk much. Few words that can make people ponder to wonder. Few words that are indelible. Few words that can leave distinctive footprints on minds. Though we may fail to mind our words, we shall never fail to mind the works of our words.”
― Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
This is a good reminder to all of us. Sometimes problems arises as we speak words that we shouldn't. We have to be careful of what words will come out our mouths and the way we said it. There are times that what we mean is different from what others interpret, so good communication must also be practice.