While on board a flight this morning, I witnessed a common communication error. As the cart offering snacks for purchase had passed, a passenger called out to ask if he could order something. The flight attendant went over, and the gentleman said, “I didn’t get a chance to order.” The flight attendant had a choice at this point. She could:
1. say, “I’m so sorry, Sir----what can I get for you?” or 2. say, “I guess you missed the cart when it passed by the first time”. Guess which she did----oh no!! Danger, danger, Will Robinson! Not only did she choose 2, she did it like a Jack Russell grabbing a rope. She would not let it go! “Sir, I guess you just didn’t hear me when I announced it a minute ago. I mean, I am happy to get you something now, but I just wanted you to know I did ask your row and the others around you if they wanted anything. See, the lady in front of you got something, the man next to you got something, I guess you just didn’t hear me.” As an owner of three Labs who sometimes get hold of a chew toy they don’t want to let go of, I wanted to yell, “Drop it!!” How about, just for today, we practice “letting it go”, even when we know we are right? Spoiler alert----this is one of my weaker areas---why else would it be so easy for me to recognize in others? After all, in one of my favorite songs, the Indigo Girls sing “Everything I believe is wrong with you is wrong with me.” Happy communicating!
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Shelly ArnesonCategories |