View source for Communications: Talk with, not to or at

The way you talk helps determine the response of the person you are communicating with. You can talk “with,” “to” or “at” a person. Saying “we” have a problem is a pathway to problem solving. Saying “you” have a problem makes people defensive. Talking “to” someone makes them feel there is a “them” and “us.” Talking “at” a person makes them feel like an inanimate object.