One of the most challenging aspects of communication isn’t expressing ourselves — it’s decoding others.
Every message we receive carries more than words. It reflects a person’s upbringing, culture, experiences, and personality. The same sentence can mean very different things depending on who’s sending it and the context behind it.
In our globalised world, where we collaborate across countries, cultures, and time zones, this skill matters more than ever. Misunderstandings don’t always come from bad intentions — they often come from different frames of reference.
That’s why suspending judgment is so important. Instead of reacting quickly or filling in the gaps with our own assumptions, we can pause, ask questions, and truly listen. Curiosity over judgment changes the quality of our conversations.
This is also what inspired me to build Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause — an app designed to help people become more intentional communicators. Not just in what we say, but how we say it: our power, our pitch, our pace, and our pauses. Because better communication starts with awareness — of ourselves and of others.
Warmly
Olga Smith