Are you a little TOO quick to the point?

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markaudette
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29 May 2008, 12:34 pm

I am a little TOO succinct. I just get right down to the point of things.

For instance: Today I went to the local bicycle shop and asked the owner if he had any "rim tape." Heavy cloth tape to keep the tube from rubbing on the inside of the spoke holes, which can cause the tube to bust. Instead of a well thought out question like "May I have a roll of Velox rim tape?", I walked up to him and just blurted out "Rim tape?" He gave me a quizzical look and and asked me to repeat myself. Then I had to ask him again in a full sentence "May I have a roll of Velox rim tape?"

The shop owner stays a busy man so I just figured in my mind that the more straight to the point I am, the more he would appreciate it. But I was wrong. I'm always wrong.

Are any of you far too quick to the point when talking to people? And how do they react when you are a little too succinct in making your point?



nettiespaghetti
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29 May 2008, 12:42 pm

I definitely am. When I'm trying to tell a story or describe something people will look at me a bit perplexed and then start asking me details. I'd probably save myself alot of time if I'd try to think it out and tell them the entire story first.



kclark
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29 May 2008, 1:08 pm

I always skip the obvious easy detail and jump right into the heart of the matter. I forget that other people didn't have the thought work getting me to the point I am at now. I sometimes find it real hard to go back to where I started and try to catch them up.



RedRevolver
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29 May 2008, 1:19 pm

Heh. Yeah. I do that, and usually end up making a meal of explaining myself because I feel stupid.



Lene
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29 May 2008, 1:57 pm

Yeah- I usually feel that if I'm not ridiculously succinct, I'm wasting the other person's time. I often end up telling stories backwards as a result!



ferch8ch8
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29 May 2008, 2:34 pm

Al the time. And the same when someone is trying to tell me about some incident, I always want to know the important issues and get rid of the rest.


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TallyMan
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29 May 2008, 2:38 pm

I used to be too direct and to the point, but have learned when it is expected to engage in a few pleasantries first. Here in France there are very formal pleasantries which generally need to be exchanged even with shop keepers. You get used to it after a while and sometimes it can be a little amusing or entertaining - provided you are not at the back of a long queue and there is a dialogue holding things up while people are talking about the weather, their family etc etc etc - this is common in France.



jamescampbell
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29 May 2008, 4:37 pm

I Straight to point too.



NeantHumain
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29 May 2008, 6:20 pm

Sometimes I give too many details that I think are necessary to understanding "the point," but many people feel they are irrelevant. This has led me to conclude that, although I may be clear and specific, I am not always succinct. In other words, no, I have the opposite problem as you.



Josie
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30 May 2008, 12:22 am

I am straight to the point. Some people don't understand and it is so EASY!! !



makuranososhi
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30 May 2008, 12:25 am

Can very much relate; it's one of the reasons I appreciate the Japanese language so thoroughly... much less cumbersome. At the same time, I am prone to wax verbose frequently. Maddeningly inconsistent.


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Greentea
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30 May 2008, 12:45 am

Yep, people ask me to repeat and explain a lot, because they're like taken aback by the lack of unnecessary, boring chatter around what I want to say.


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SotiCoto
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30 May 2008, 4:48 am

One extreme or the other.
Either straight to the point, no nonsense..... or nit-picking through every little, tiny detail while missing the bigger picture.


I am... that is.
I'm kinda doing it here.

If I'm feeling direct though and someone doesn't get what I'm saying, my first response is usually not to elaborate but to start patronising them by saying the same thing more slowly and in a condescending tone of voice. It is my typical way of dealing with slow mundies.

.



Deus_Imperator
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30 May 2008, 4:58 am

Yep.


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30 May 2008, 5:49 am

Deus_Imperator wrote:
Yep.

I see what you did there. :D



hale_bopp
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30 May 2008, 7:28 am

Pretty much

I asked this guy I had only known for two minutes when the the last time was that he got laid.

(and no I wasn't coming onto him, he was acting like he hadn't been laid in ages)