How Do You Avoid Verbal Finger Pointing?
We were taught as children not to point our finger at people. It was considered rude and it put people on the spot. Even if your hands are in your pockets it is still possible to point your finger right in someone’s face-verbally. Improper use of the word “you” is verbal finger pointing. Consider this statement: “You are wrong about this new marketing campaign!” A statement like this puts people on the defensive. They also take the statement personally and may feel attacked. An altogether different feeling would result if the statement were rephrased in this way: “I have a few concerns about this new marketing campaign.” You’ve put the emphasis on yourself without putting the other person on the defensive. Here are a few more examples: “You need to take care of this right away.” Or “I think this needs to be taken care of right away.” “You made a lot of mistakes in the presentation.” Or “I think the presentation needs a lot of improvements.” “You’ve got a lot of problems in your departm
