Have you ever felt you're not getting through to the person you're talking to, or not coming across the way you intend? You're not alone. That's the bad news. But there is something we can do about it.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, social psychologist and bestselling author, explains why we're often misunderstood and how we can fix that. Most of us assume that other people see us as we see ourselves, and that they see us as we truly are. But neither is true.

Our everyday interactions are colored by ...