
In 1970, I began kindergarten in a small town in mid-southwest Oklahoma. At the same time I was learning letters and running around in the aisle to avoid the swinging ping-pong paddle when our teacher got mad, Led Zeppelin released their now-classic hit, “Communication Breakdown.” One of the more compelling lines in that song is: “Communication break-down….drives me in-sa-a-a-a-a-a-a-nnneeee!!!” Then cool riffs begin to play, and we’re rocking to the rhythm once again.
I have a love/hate relationship with that song. I love the music. The lyrics are way too real, however. Every day I silently witness communication breakdowns and at times they really do drive the parties insane.
I heard a story on NPR yesterday over a gentleman who is trying desperately to instill some peace talks in the Middle East. He said, “If the enemies can first agree on what is wrong, THEN we can begin making progress.” That’s true, isn’t it? If you are having a difficult time deciding exactly where you are struggling with communication, then you might feel lost in trying to improve things.
Therefore, I’ve decided to give you a bullet point list today…just a few things that tend to happen frequently when people have communication problems. If you find yourself in this list, then perhaps you can find a way out: Continue reading Diagnosing Your Own “Communication Breakdown”



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In the final days of the 2010 session, when legislative leaders were faced with historic revenue shortfalls and were desperate for ways to balance the budget, a deal was struck with representatives of the energy industry on oil and gas drilling incentives. The industry agreed to defer payment of credits on horizontal and deep well drilling for twenty-four months, until July 2012, and then to pay out over the next three years the credits that accrued during this period. In return, the legislature adopted several changes to how drilling is taxed that were sought by the industry. [