Month: July 2012

Don’t get instructive with communication get imaginative !!!!

At the PMI Chennai Chapter meet on 30th June 2012 at the IIT Research Park I spoke on the topic ‘BRIDGING THE INSTANT WITH THE DISTANT WITH COMMUNICATION”.  My talk was on how to invest time on study and reading that does not give you any direct benefit – which I called embracing the MADNESS and how in our WEAKNESS we can find strength.  To drive home the point I narrated a story which I would like to share with you.

Susan was just 19 yrs she had come from a distant country to do her college.  She was a fine girl, sported good looks and a cheerful personality.  She started out well but somewhere in the second month she lost her path, her new found freedom seemed to have driven her mind to liberal ways that she often crossed the the line of control. The college authorities got to know of this and they were constrained to inform her father who lived in a distant country.  Now my question was what do you think the father would do?

The expected reaction were these :

  1. Resort to Threat – ( call her up and threaten to pull her out of college if she does not mend her ways)
  2. Emotional Blackmail –  (Tell her the trouble the family goes through to make sure Susan studies, the anxious mother blah blah blah)
  3. Beg and Plead –  (Start whining and complaining and begging the girl to become good)
But Susan’s dad was a real creative man. He picked up his camera took his car and when to a flower garden close by.  In grief he spent 2 hours taking pictures and then he came back home and wrote a letter to his daughter.
Dear Susan, 
My visit to the flower garden.  
It was one of those days that as a father I faced grief and it occured to me to find rest in the flower garden that I often passed on my way to work.  I decided to spend some time among the flowers hoping the cheerfulness and the radiance of the flowers will set me at peace and rest.  It worked wonders, I must confess.
The flowers, though lesser than humans in many ways, have it in its nature to cheer up the otherwise dark world.  This it does without any fuss.  I then thought to myself if only human beings were to understand this nature of the flower and blossom every day to bring cheer to the world, I guess the purpose of our life will be fulfilled.
As I walked along I found there we flowers in full blossom and people were around smiling and clicking pictures ( I did too) and then I came to a small empty patch there was no one around… and I saw this rose that was dried and shriveled head hung and ready to give up its life.  No was around, nobody wanted to even glimpse at the dried up flower.  I was puzzled.  I decided to spend some time with that flower ( I took pictures too) .  It was not the fault of the flower, there was a time people flocked around it but not anymore.  
My visit to the flower show was an experience of life. Someday both of us must visit this place together.  Till such time I would want you to blossom and bring cheer to the world.  I love you Susan.  DAD
PS Check out the pics of the flowers 
Susan read this letter and shed tears. She read it again and again and wept.  When she read it to me she wept again.  Thirty years have gone by Susan retains the letter even today, and trust me when I reminded her of the letter she choked,  I am sure she shed tears recalling those days.  Susan today is a flower in full blossom.
This story was narrated to drive home the point that any communication that is instructive will not cut through and that we need to be really creative to be able to communicate.  And hence its important to stock our memories with stories and skills to handle various communication tools.
And then here is another case of  Dave Carroll decided to use his skills to get justice.  The method was so effective and the outcome was a pleasant one

A musician named Dave Carroll recently had difficulty with United Airlines. United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. Dave spent over 9 months trying to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his custom Taylor guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for youtube exposing their lack of cooperation. The Manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal.” So he posted a retaliatory video on youtube. The video has since received over 6 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: “Good luck with that one, pal.” Taylor Guitars sent the musician 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has led to a sharp increase in orders. Here’s the video, and it’s GREAT!