Have you heard this story:
Johnnie (age 7) comes running into the house, yelling to his mom, “Where did I come from?” Johnnie’s mom had not been expecting this question–well at least not yet! But after taking a deep breath and collecting her thoughts just a bit, she invites Johnnie into the living room where she shares all about ”The Birds and the Bees.” Johnnie’s eyes are wide as saucers as he takes in every word. When Johnnie’s mom is finished, she says, “Now Johnnie do you understand where your came from?” Johnnie replies, “No! Joey said that he came from California and he asked me where I came from?”
So, do you understand now, Why your first question should always be: “Can you please tell me more?”
Or am I the only person who has ever had his wife say, after I have quickly responded to what I thought was her question, “Why don’t you listen to me first, before you start trying to answer! You don’t even know what I was asking!”?
Yes, more times than I care to admit, it can be said of me: “Bob gives answers before he listens.”
Do you think Johnnie’s mom had wished she had responded to Johnnie’s question with: “Can you please tell me more?”
So here is my action point: To make it my standard automatic response, whenever I am asked a question, to ask: “Can you please tell me more?”
As a result of reading today’s post, what is your action point?
