Why Does It Have to Fit on a Bumper Sticker
By: Dean J Murphy
Tags: Clarity, Opinion, Truth, Communication, Information

Why Does It Have to Fit on a Bumper Sticker

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

My wife told me something her boss said about the lock-down in Germany. It was one of those statements that are partially true but do not tell the whole story. Such statements do more harm than good, especially when the truth does matter.

When did we become so lazy

I think it started with social media, especially with that thing called Twitter. When Twitter first started, you only had 140 characters to get your message across. Who can write an opinion in only 140 characters?

Twitter then upped the character count to 280. Still not enough, in my opinion. You might be able to make a statement about something in 280 characters, but you can not go into why.

An interesting fact about Twitter. Back in the days of a 140 character limit, the average tweet was only 34 characters. Today, with a limit of 280 characters, the average tweet dropped to 33 characters. Even when people have more, they use less.

If people treated the environment this way, we would not have a problem with global warming.

What did the boss say

In Germany, we have a hard lock-down. Many stores are closed. When my wife told me that the hardware stores were closed, I thought, that can’t be true. What happens if your heating goes out or a water pipe breaks in your house?

Winter is coming to Germany, and it will be cold. You can not expect somebody to put off essential repairs in the home. So, I asked my wife, who told you the hardware stores are closed? The answer, her boss.

The real story

Hardware stores are not closed. Access to hardware stores is limited to professional contractors. Private individuals are not allowed to shop in hardware stores. If I need to repair something in my home, I can not do it myself if I do not have the parts on hand. I need to call a repairman and have him perform the repairs.

If the repairman needs parts, he can go to the hardware store and get what he needs.

If you tell Joe Six-pack the hardware stores are closed, it is likely he will get upset. He will complain about how the government is infringing upon his right to maintain his home.

All because somebody is too lazy to give an accurate description of the situation. “Hardware stores are closed” fits on a bumper sticker.

“Access to hardware stores is limited to professional contractors. Due to health reasons, private individuals are not allowed to shop in hardware stores. If you have emergency home repairs, please contact your local contractor.”

The first statement is 23 characters, four words, and one sentence. It fits on a bumper sticker. It is confusing. It is exactly the type of statement that can be used for misinformation.

Captain Hook had it right in the movie Pan. The best lies are the truth. Or, as I extend the statement, at least the lies that contain a little bit of truth.

The second statement consists of 193 characters, 34 words, and three sentences. It is accurate, concise, and explains the situation. It does not fit on a bumper sticker and only takes a few more seconds to read.

Another truth

The next time somebody tells you they told somebody something, ask them how. Often at work, when somebody tells me, they told somebody about something, I ask how. They usually reply, “I sent them an email.”

Since when is sending an email, telling somebody something? You do not even know if they read the email.

To tell somebody something, you need to utter words in their hearing range. Whether it is over the phone or face-to-face, the other party needs to hear the words.

Hearing words does not imply comprehension. You can inform somebody over the phone, but unless they ask for clarification, you still do not know if they understood what you said.

At least in person, if the person you are speaking to gives you a confused look, you can give them further clarification until the message is understood.

Maybe this is why we have so many communication problems in the world. When many people equate an email with speaking, we are bound to have problems.

Tips and tricks

Asking for clarification is essential to proper communication. If the other party does not understand what is said, neither party benefits.

Take the extra time to explain. It will save you heartache later on.

If it fits on a bumper sticker, the statement is not true and the solution is not complete.

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