by Neena Strichart
I don’t think anyone listens anymore. Now, they may hear what folks are saying, but I don’t think they actually comprehend what is said, because they aren’t actively listening to the words being spoken or the emotions behind those words.
We all have little distractions demanding attention from our eyes and ears, but, darn it, when someone is speaking to you, please give them the courtesy of putting down your tablet or phone and look at that person.
Besides being rude, paying more attention to social media than to the people standing in front of our faces is causing us to become a culture of those who publicly archive rather than one of those who experience life as it happens. We all know those who spend either all of their time reminiscing about the past or daydreaming about the future. We’ve all heard the cliché “Live in the moment,” and I think some of us should think about making it our mantra.
Furthermore, when I take the time to leave you a voicemail, please listen to it. Don’t just call me back and say, “Oh, I just checked my phone, and I see you called. What do you want?” If you don’t want to listen to your voicemails, say that in your outgoing message. For instance!most people have an outgoing message that says something like this, “Hello, this is Neena. I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave your name, number and a message. and I will call you back as soon as I can.” Beep. For those who don’t want to listen to phone messages, do us all a favor and leave the following type of outgoing message on your voicemail, “Hello, this is Neena. I have no intention of listening to your message, so don’t bother to leave one. Give me a call later, and I will answer if I can, or if I feel like it. If this is an emergency, please call 911.” Beep.
And, as far as email goes, if I bother to write you a message that is more than one sentence long, please read it. There may be something important in the second or third lines. Keep reading until the end. I don’t particularly enjoy typing, so if I could say all I need to say in fewer words, I would.
Also, if I ask you to email me three pieces of information, please don’t send back just the details for two of the three requests, or better yet, don’t ignore my requests and reply to my message with some random information about something I didn’t even inquire about. Example! Me: Please send me your company address, phone number and what time I should stop by to see you. Them: Margaret is my name. Our business is in Signal Hill in the gray building. Please call before coming by so I can lock up my poodle.
Lastly, I will leave you with my new favorite quote; I recently saw it on a wall-hanging in a local retail store: “Always be yourself. Unless you are Spider-Man, then always be Spider-Man.
