The Truth (A lesson in Communication)

The Truth (A lesson in Communication)

There was a security guard who continued to be deployed for 3 years
in the same establishment.. One night he got drunk. This was the
first time it ever happened.. The duty manager recorded it in the log
book,; 'The security guard was drunk tonight'. The guard read it and
he knew this comment would affect his career, so he went to the duty
manager ,apologized and asked the manager to add that it only
happened once in  3 years which was the complete truth. The manager
refused and said,: what I have written here is the truth.

The next day it was the guards turn to fill in the log. He
wrote, 'The duty manager was sober tonight.' The manager read the
entry and asked the guard to change or add to it explaining the
complete truth because this implied that the manager was drunk every
other night. The guard told the manager that what he had written in
the log was the truth.

Both statements were true but they conveyed misleading messages
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Another Lesson in communication

This reminds me of the two priests who got into an argument about
smoking and praying at the same time. They couldn't resolve it, so
they decided to each write the Pope and have him decide it.

When both had received their answers, they got together. "What did
His Holiness tell you?" asked the first.

"He said that it was fine," answered the second. "What did he tell
you?"

"Very strange," responded the first.
"He told me that it was forbidden. What did you ask him, anyway?"

"I asked if it was all right to pray while smoking. He said that
prayer is always appropriate. What did you ask him?"

"I asked him if it was all right to smoke while praying. He said that
smoking would defame the sacred act, so it is forbidden."

Often, it's all in how you ask the question!

~Alan Klein

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