[link, xtina, brains]

[wispfox]

ladytabitha notes that the corollary to "communicate, communicate, communicate" should be "pay attention!".

And yes, I _do_ realize that people (myself included) have trouble with body language. I feel like even in those cases, there is still other information than words. Perhaps, things like people suddenly getting quiet, or not being as chatty as normal, or something. Behaving differently than normal, vs. body language signals. And yes, sometimes the reason for strange behavior is because someone is feeling unwell; that's still something that's useful to know, because - if nothing else - people who don't feel well tend to want different things than when they do feel well.

Of course, my next corollary now wants to be "if someone close to you asks if you're ok, take a moment to see if you can figure out why they are asking, before replying". I mostly note this one because I've run into too many people who say they are fine when they are not, and obviously not. And I do understand automatic responses, as I might answer automatically before answering for real, depending on my distraction levels.

As with everything, it's about doing the best you can, not about being perfect in your ability to communicate.

Of course, in my head, paying attention to cues which may not be words is part of communicating. Communication should be using all input available, and not just a subset. I will note that I strongly prefer verbal communication to confirm the things I'm picking up through other methods. Largely because, for me at least, the other methods are more vague and abstract, and have too many possible meanings. Words can and often do, as well, but they are easier (for me) to use to home in on something.