Communication Frustration

Communication has not been working for me. I'm a writer. I teach. I've been trained in public speaking. I get paid to chat with folks on the web. This should all translate to: Danica knows how to communicate, right?

Apparently not. Either that, or I can't seem to run into the folks who do.

Issue #1: Not telling me what you want. Especially if I give you the opportunity to do so. When I say, "what do you want," and you either say nothing or don't respond, why am I the bad guy for not giving you what you want? And yet, I've had several people be absolutely nasty to me over the past few days for that exact thing. I can't read minds, so why is it MY problem that you have a problem?

Issue #2: Going back on what you previously told me. This is really getting to be a hot button with me. If you say, "do this," and I do, don't be mad at me later for doing it. I have several new orifices after being torn into for doing exactly what I was told to do.

Issue #3: Not saying what you mean. Years ago, a Christian comedian did a routine about how when a person said, "bless his/her heart," they were really saying "you big idiot." That drives me nuts. If you mean the person is an idiot, then just say so. I'll respect you a lot more.

So there it is... my frustration with communication as of late. Please feel free to share your own frustrations. And do try, when communicating with me, to be clear and avoid making the mistakes above. It'll save all of us a big headache.