Friday, February 1, 2008

Off the Cuff is Off the Mark


Most 'off the cuff' remarks, although paritally true, cannot stand up to scruitiny simply because they are laced with as much inaccuracy as fact. If you are going to make claims, statements, and rebuttals always take the time to think through what you are going to say. It is so easy in "the heat of battle" such as arguments and disagreements to fly off the handle with accusations such as "you're always late!" "You always say that!" and "I've had to work every weekend!" These are what I call "off the cuff remarks" because the person making these statements has not taken the time to "think through" what they are actually saying. For example, if an employee arrives late to a staff meeting and you verbally assualt the person with "you're always late" then you better make sure that it can be proven by fact that this person has been late to every single meeting since they were employed. If they have been late to 4 out of 30 meetings then how can you rightfully say "you're always late" to them? If you, after seeing the newly posted work schedule, exclaim "I'm always working weekends" but, just three months ago, were given not only Christmas, but New Year's AND the Martin Luther King holiday weekend off, how can you rightfully say "I've worked EVERY weekend? You may be RIGHT in saying "it seems like I am working every weekend" or "it seems like you've been late for a few meetings this year" but you are totally WRONG when stating these facts with the words such as "always" and "every" to make it appear like it happens all the time. Proverbs 16:13, "Kings take pleasure in honest lips; they value a man who speaks the truth." Exodus 20:16 "You must not testify falsely against your neighbor." When speaking and addressing issues of interest just make sure you're not speaking "off the cuff" because you could end up "losing your shirt."

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