In this week's edition we will feature the fourth type of communication killer -  which is called "Side-Track".

Example of this is as follows:

Colleague    : My Goodness, I lost all the contacts from my mobile. I couldn't get in touch with my clients.

Us              : Really? What mobile phone are you using?

Colleague    : It's an XYZ brand.

Us              : What type?

Colleague    : X123 type

Us              : Did you buy the original product or the black market product?

Colleague    : Original, with warranty.

Us              : Where did you buy it? From the sole distributor or a shop in the electronic trade center? etc...etc...

Look at the first sentence, when our colleague mentions his problem. What is the real problem? Losing the contact numbers and not being able to get in touch with his clients. But, how did we respond to his problem? We ask many questions on THE MOBILE PHONE!

Side-tracking is the sign of disrespect and the inability to focus on what people say. It also shows that the person is egotistical, who is only interested in matters that interests him, not to the person who is talking. A person who always side-track the conversation to HIS OWN interests - and pays no attention to what others have to say - will soon find that nobody wants to talk to him anymore.

My dear friends,

For the last four weeks we have featured four communication killers, which we can summarize as GABS (Grab the glory, Advise, Belittle and Side-track). All these things will make other people feel reluctant communicating with us, because they show that we are only interested in ourselves, not in our counterpart. They show our inability to listen to others. When we don't listen to other people, how can we expect others to listen to us?

So, next time somebody talks to us, take a deep breath and remember GABS. If our responses will reflect any of those things, we'd better bite our tongue and focus our attention. This is one way to EARN respect from the people around us.

Have a great week, my friends.