Ditch the Golden Rule and You’ll Become a More Engaging Communicator

Frank McKinley
4 min readSep 14, 2024
Image by Mircea Iancu from Pixabay

What if treating people the way you want to be treated is a horrible conversation strategy?

Please don’t get me wrong. The Golden Rule is an excellent way to deal with people in transactions. Be honest when you sell them something. Be above reproach in your business. Be all you can be when it comes to doing your job.

But when it comes to conversation, one size definitely does not fit all.

The Cookie Cutter Doesn’t Fit When It’s Time to Talk

Have you ever tried to get someone else excited about something you love?

Showing enthusiasm works when the other person has similar interests. For example, if your friend likes Chinese food, they’ll jump at the chance to go to lunch with you. If they’d rather have pizza, they’ll decline your offer, without a single care for what you want.

Communication works the same way.

Let’s take a moment to break it down.

People Are Already Giving You Cues About How to Communicate With Them

Face to face communication isn’t as mysterious as it may seem.

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Frank McKinley

I like to figure things out and share what I find. My favorite topics are faith, communication, business, and personal growth. https://skl.sh/2Xp1p8d