Polly Bath: Verbal cues, how to read that. Non-verbal cues, how to read those. Those are huge!

You’ve all been there when you’re having a conversation with someone and you’re sending them all kind of cues and they’re not getting it. You ever have that happen?

Ever have that friend who has to touch you while they’re talking?

[laughter]

They’re always putting their hand on you. Every time they put their hand on you, you’re twitching.

[laughter]

But they’re not quite grabbing on. You don’t want to say, “Excuse me, but this is one of my non-verbal cues when I twitch like that meaning I really prefer you don’t touch me.” We never say that. We never get into a conversation with people and say, “I’d like to end this conversation now.” We don’t.

If we don’t do that then how are we teaching it. They’re picking it up by the way we’re doing it. My friend rings her doorbell to get off the phone. It’s an ingenious idea. It is ingenious. Why doesn’t she just say, “I’m going to hang up the phone now”? I don’t know, why are we like this?

We’re so afraid. We’re so afraid to learn these skills.