Okay, tell him I said...

R.a.n.t. of week 07/18/04

If there is anything I hate more than no replies to a blog article, it's having to be a go-between. I'll be on the phone and one person asks me to tell the other person something. A prime example of this happened almost every week when I was married. I would be on the phone with someone and my wife would ask me to tell the other person something. To which the other person, obviously, would reply something back. I'd have to relay this to my wife who then had another thing to add. Suddenly, they are having a conversation and playing verbal tennis.

I find this mode of communication difficult to grasp. If a person has something important to say, why not say it who they need to themselves? I understand there may be times this is not possible, like when someone has to translate for another, but to constantly use someone else as a go-between does not make a lot of sense. And my wife did this ALL the time. And what's the biggest reason I hate this? I’m the worst person to translate a message. At times this same thing happens at work. I'm talking to a customer and my boss tells me to tell them something, as he then walks away. As you may have guessed, the customer relays something back. I forget immediately who is calling if I don't write it down, so now I'm forced to talk on the phone and take notes at the same time. Plus I can pat my head and rub my tubby at the same time. So this week, try if you can, not to use a third party to relate your messages (but feel free to have as many parties as you want, just invite me). Instead, relay your messages to the other person yourself. And while you are at it, tell them I say hi.
Reprinted 10/25/12





*PLEASE NOTE - I recently found R.a.n.t. articles posted to an older website I once owned. I've decided to reprint them in my current run, but have decided to edit the articles. For comparisons sake, I've decided to run the unedited versions as well. In a way, it's kind of fun to see how my writing has changed in eight years.


Original R.a.n.t.
One of the things I really hate, is to be the go-between. You know what I’m talking about, one person will tell you to tell the other person what they want to tell them. I find it hard to understand this mode of communication. If you have something vital to tell someone else, doesn’t it make sense to tell him or her yourself? I understand there may be times this is not possible, like when someone has to translate for you, or the third party is not available, but to constantly use someone else as a go-between does not make a lot of sense to me. What is the biggest reason I hate this? I’m the worst person to translate a message, so why would anyone else want to rely on me? Half the time I forget who is calling at work, even if I just asked them who was calling. Something happens from the time I ask who’s calling and the time I ask what they want that I forget who it is calling. So for this week, strive not to use a third person to relate your messages, tell them yourself, and you can tell them I said you should.