I recently got into a tense conversation with a friend. We were talking about education and I was briefing him about some popular steps a particular government was taking. During that conversation, I think my friend was trying to make the case that the things I was mentioning weren't directly related to improving the quality of education or for the students and teachers. He was right. But at that time, I didn't realize that and got defensive in a way that derailed the whole conversation.

Lately, I have noticed that many times I don't completely understand what's being said and I end up interrupting the conversation. Things escalate from there. It is uncomfortable, tense, exhausting, tiresome and worst of all, the topic of conversation gets sidelined. Furthermore, even from my side, when I am trying to express myself, often I would use the wrong word. I think my communication skills need lot more work, practice and I have to be more mindful about it.

This is one reason I like these writing-club sessions. Writing is a good exercise, it clears out the noise and makes you more focused. I have been slacking lately on these sessions but I will try to improve on that front too.