All of us know what it is like to be misunderstood ― it happens often. None of us like the feeling, so it is only natural for us to try to resolve the misunderstanding when we feel we have been misjudged. But perhaps it would also be useful to reflect on the misunderstanding and see what we did to create the false impression. For even when we have the best of intentions, we can overlook other interpretations that might be shown in the look on our face, the tone of our voice, or the point we were trying to make. We must try sincerely to reassure the other person and get things back on the road again, while also looking back carefully to see what lead to the failure in communicating and how we can consciously improve.

By Konosuke Matsushita, founder of Panasonic