Have you ever tried to communicate with someone who just “doesn’t get it”?
In situations like that, I’ve found that it’s useful to just stop and recognize the other person may not have all the info or experience I have just yet. Perhaps that’s why they don’t see things the way I see them.
My grandfather was in the restaurant business back in the 1950s and 60s. He went to a business conference once about how to train his employees. The speaker got up on stage and asked for a volunteer. He then asked the volunteer to teach him how to smoke a cigarette. Back then, everybody smoked cigarettes.
So, the volunteer said, “Okay, step 1 is to put the cigarette in your mouth.” The speaker put the cigarette in his mouth sideways. Everybody started laughing.
Then the speaker asked the volunteer, “Now what should I do?” The volunteer told him to light the cigarette. Then the speaker tried to light the cigarette without turning on the lighter because he didn’t know how to turn it on. The audience started laughing again.
Eventually, the speaker made the point that when you train employees you need to break things down for them step by step and “show them” instead of “tell them” how to do their job properly.
So, instead of getting frustrated with people who don’t see things the way we see them, we may find it useful to recognize that the other person may not have all the info we have. Once we realize that, we can break things down for them step by step in a way they can understand.
So here's my ridiculous question of the day:
What can you do today to be a little more clear or patient in a situation or relationship that may call for it?
