"We were able to achieve clarity and mutual understanding"

I received a particularly surprising, indeed confusing, email from a colleague. I was taken aback by the content of the email but stopped short of responding with anger or curtness. One of Jim Kwik's statements in the first lesson of Superbrain was, "Seek first to understand then to be understood." I asked my colleague the reasoning behind the email then explained my perspective. We were able to achieve clarity and mutual understanding without any angst between us.