Give it to him, Joe

I still remember the story my year 10 legal studies teacher told of two young thieves running away from the police in pursuit.

One was armed with a gun, and when cornered, his colleague gave the following instruction:

“Give it to him, Joe”.

The case hinged on the intonation of that sentence.

“Give it to him Joe” could mean “surrender the gun to the officer, Joe”.

Or it could mean, “shoot him, Joe”.

It sticks in my memory because life is lived through subjective interpretation.

👉The words we say are not necessarily what people hear.

When drafting a piece of communication or creating an initiative to get someone to do something, it’s worth considering what’s going on from their point of view. What’s the context you are working in? 

👉👉 Here’s a tool to help you do that.