{"id":14091,"date":"2026-01-22T16:53:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T16:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/karrierecoaching.ch\/?p=14091"},"modified":"2026-06-05T06:41:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T06:41:25","slug":"why-good-communication-habits-can-sometimes-do-harm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-good-communication-habits-can-sometimes-do-harm\/","title":{"rendered":"Why good communication habits can sometimes do harm!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Habits are useful. We do many things unconsciously \u2013 that simplifies everyday life, makes us more efficient, and relieves the brain\u2019s working memory, as I described in the article \u201cWill is silver, habit is gold.\u201d<\/a> If, however, we misread a situation, habits can lead us astray \u2013 in communication too.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter N\u00e4f<\/a>
\nZurich, May 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

It was hard work: I struggled with Jacqueline (name changed) and tried to show her how she could convey her complex professional experience in a job interview<\/a> through storytelling<\/a>. Her statements were professionally phrased \u2013 she was a good communicator. Yet she remained abstract throughout. In short: I could see nothing.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I told her her own professional story by first describing the company, then explaining her role, and finally making her activities tangible through concrete examples. She confirmed that my account captured her professional situation accurately.<\/p>\n

Smoke screens in communication<\/h5>\n

She tried again \u2013 and translated my concrete depiction back into an abstract description. I was at my wits\u2019 end. Finally, I said to her: \u201cIt feels to me as if you\u2019re hiding and deliberately obscuring your experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

No sooner had I said it than an idea struck me: some time earlier, Jacqueline had completed further training in crisis communication<\/a>. I asked her whether she had learned there to avoid concrete facts and instead communicate non-committally \u2013 to speak in a way that says little without it being obvious. She said yes.<\/p>\n

Scene change \u2013 different situation, same principle: Giovanni (name also changed) told me his success stories during a personal and professional assessment<\/a>. He was a gifted storyteller. Colourful and humorous, he described episodes from his professional life that were meant to demonstrate his exceptional abilities. I sat there as if in a cinema seat.<\/p>\n

What is the goal of communication?<\/h5>\n

Yet something was missing. Because his stories were so entertaining, I didn\u2019t notice it at first. Eventually, I said to him: \u201cYour stories are impressive \u2013 but somehow you don\u2019t appear in them. I only see you vaguely.\u201d<\/p>\n

As soon as I said this, my exchange with Jacqueline came to mind, and I told him about her obscuring communication. Giovanni\u2019s eyes widened, he slapped his forehead with the flat of his hand and said: \u201cF*** \u2013 exactly!\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that he had been very successful in his previous role, but was not allowed to make his successes too visible. His superior had perceived him as a competitor and made things difficult for him whenever he became too prominent. In order to be able to work in peace, he had communicatively withdrawn.<\/p>\n

It can be appropriate to obscure things in crisis communication \u2013 or to step back temporarily in order to remain capable of action. But the goal in self-marketing<\/a> is a different one: it is about being seen clearly and concretely. That is why you should always be aware, in communication, of what the goal is.<\/p>\n

We cannot act unconsciously in every situation. Sometimes habit is only silver \u2013 and awareness is gold.<\/p>\n

#communication<\/a> #jobinterview<\/a> #selfmarketing<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Habits are useful. We do many things unconsciously \u2013 that simplifies everyday life, makes us more efficient, and relieves the brain\u2019s working memory, as I described in the article \u201cWill is silver, habit is gold.\u201d If, however, we misread a situation, habits can lead us astray \u2013 in communication too. Peter N\u00e4f Zurich, May 2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artikel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy good communication habits can sometimes do harm! - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Communication habits can be detrimental; therefore it's important to determine the objective of communication (application, self-marketing).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/why-good-communication-habits-can-sometimes-do-harm\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why good communication habits can sometimes do harm! 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