Too Stupid. . .
Many years ago I was at a woodworking show somewhere in America, the city doesn’t matter. I was there as a vendor so I was in my booth helping customers when across the way I overheard a loud rant and it was obvious that someone was very upset.
Who was doing the yelling isn’t important either, but the lesson has become a lifelong one for me. As this vendor threw the customer out of his booth these words rang out for all to hear, “You are too stupid to own my equipment!” To this day whenever I get the chance and it’s pretty often, I go out of my way to avoid this person’s equipment and when asked by others what I think, I give a negative recommendation. It turns out that this fellow makes substandard equipment anyway, in my opinion. Reviews of his company’s customer service are exactly the same as his crappy attitude on that sales floor so many years ago.
The Lesson: 99% of the time it isn’t the customer or student, it is you!
Having been a salesman, business owner, inventor, promoter, I forgot where I was going with this, but let’s just say that I have been around a while. Here is some tried and true advise which still rings true; “If your presentation or story is simple enough for a 12-year-old to understand it, your presentation will probably be understood by most folks who hear it."
You never know who you are standing in front of. You don’t know their level of expertise or lack thereof. You don’t know what they are going through physically or emotionally. Keep this in mind when you are teaching a class, answering a question, or responding to someone’s email which might question something you said or did. If they don’t understand something or if they have totally misunderstood, it probably isn’t their fault. You didn’t explain it properly or simply enough. You assumed they already know something they probably don’t know. Most folks aren’t stupid, they just don’t understand. Don’t be a jackass and try to demonstrate your superiority by making the other person feel stupid.
Breaking it down
It is easy to assume that the person you are talking to understands the words/terminology you are using and has a good grasp of the subject at hand. If they look lost during the conversation, the first thing to do is drop back to the fundamentals. I work with a CNC every day. (CNC stands for Computer Numeric Control – in my case a CNC router). If I began describing the function of an ATC, a lot of folks may not know what I was talking about. ATC is shorthand for an Automatic Tool Changer. When you describe a Negative Rake Scraper and its benefits, there will be folks who have no idea what you are talking about. The same way with “rubbing the bevel” of a spindle gouge or skew. And what the heck is a banjo? You talk about a “live center” and the other person thinks they might have to buy pet food!
If you are fortunate enough to be instructing someone on a turning method and they don’t seem to be getting it, slow down, back up and break it down into simple language. You will see it in their eyes when the light bulb of understanding suddenly goes off. Remember that you are the expert here so your job is to make it simple to understand. It’s not them, it’s you. Remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this message:
Job 18:3 NIV Why are we regarded as cattle and considered stupid in your sight?
Genesis 11:7 NIV Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
Mark 9:32 NIV But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
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