I asked myself a question: “Is watered down input effective?”

My answer was, “It depends.”

What does it depend on? Mostly on whether the person on the receiving end is in the frame of mind to receive an undiluted message.

If you approach everyone as having the same sensibilities as you, you will offer them the input style you prefer.

I prefer people not to sugarcoat their advice. That approach gets my attention quickly and has less chance for misinterpretation.

I can tell you from experience that that approach doesn’t work for everybody. In fact, only a small percentage of people respond well to it.

You can be razor sharp and spot-on with your message and not reach someone who requires some water to cut their whiskey. Reminds me of a story . . .

Last year, I was talking with a family member on the phone about their life situation. I could plainly hear that they were so invested in their story of why things were the way they were that I would have little chance of getting through. So I brought out the big guns and went for the direct approach. I felt better; they felt worse. More importantly, my message fell on plugged ears. They received no benefit because I wasn’t paying attention.

So how can you tell the most useful approach? Pay attention to how the other person delivers their message. Once you see their delivery style, you’ll know their preference and you can tailor your delivery accordingly.

Final thought: If you continue with your “patented” approach, your message has less chance of getting through more often.

All the best,

John