Candor/Daily Practice: Speaking with Candor

Here’s a “Speaking with Candor” Daily Practice Checklist, rooted in the Candor module from Wikiversity.^[1] It outlines a practical, day-long ritual to cultivate authentic, honest, and respectful communication.

• Reflect on the essence of candor: Candor is more than honesty—it's the integrity of aligning thought, feeling, and expression while treating others as peers.
• Set your communication intention, e.g.: “Today, I will express clearly, honestly, and with respect.”

When speaking or writing throughout the day, pay attention to these six indispensable elements of candor:

1. Peer Relationships
   • Communicate as equals, regardless of roles or status. Prioritize facts and shared understanding over hierarchy or deference.
2. Respect
   • Value your listeners' humanity. Avoid insults, sarcasm, condescension, or crude remarks. Show appreciation, listen deeply, and speak kindly—even in disagreement.
3. Thinking
   • Reflect on your words before speaking. Ensure clarity, logic, and alignment with your values. Embrace intellectual humility and honest evaluation.
4. Feeling
   • Express genuine emotions calmly. Avoid exaggeration or suppression—speak from the heart within compassionate boundaries.
5. Clarity
   • Use precise, coherent language. Avoid cryptic, vague, or pompous expression. If you lack clarity, stay silent—better to pause than miscommunicate.
6. Veracity
   • Align your words truthfully with your beliefs. Avoid flattery, deception, or hiding behind power. Stay genuine and tell the whole truth when it matters.

Use one or two affirmations to align your mindset with candor:

• “I speak candidly to gain common understanding.”
• “I speak as a peer—with honesty, respect, and clarity.”
• “I think clearly before I speak.”
• “I express feelings appropriately.”
• “I stay silent unless I can improve on silence.”

Reflect thoughtfully on your interactions:

• Moments of candid communication: When did you speak with clarity, honesty, or respect—and how did it feel?
• Breakdowns in candor: Where did your words fall short? Did emotion, haste, or fear of conflict interfere?
• Areas for growth: Which element—Peer, Respect, Thinking, Feeling, Clarity, or Veracity—needs focus tomorrow?

Close the day by selecting one affirmation to guide your next opportunity to speak with candor.

1. ↑ ChatGPT generated this text responding to the prompt: “Generate an ‘speaking with candor’ daily practice checklist based on the materials at: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Candor”.