Everyone talks in code!

How often have you left a meeting with a customer or your boss telling yourself he likes my ideas. Only to find later that you didn't get the sale or your boss has told everyone that you are crazy.

As we get older it seems to us that everyone talks in code. No one tells us what they really mean. Everything is hidden behind a veil of double talk.

But all is not lost. We found a copy of the code breaking manual on the web site of that well known code breaking magazine, Harpers Magazine.

It's no ordinary code. This is special. We had many discussions before we decided to reveal the secrets of the code to you.

This is the code you need to understand what us Brits are talking about.

It was found on a wall in the European Courts of Justice and released to the world, by a journalist for The Economist (who else we hear you ask) in 2004. We thought it so important to your survival in the world that we have reproduced it here.

We hope it will change the course of the war against failed communication and create the foundation for ongoing successful conversations.

What they say: I'm sure it's my fault.

What is understood: It is his fault.

What they mean: It is your fault.

What they say: I'll bear it in mind.

What is understood: He will probably do it.

What they mean: I will do nothing about it.

What they say: I was a bit disappointed that . . .

What is understood: It doesn't really matter.

What they mean: I am most upset and cross.

What they say: By the way/Incidentally . . .

What is understood: This is not very important.

What they mean: The primary purpose of our discussion is ...

What they say: I hear what you say.

What is understood: He accepts my point of view.

What they mean: I disagree and do not want to discuss it any further.

What they say: Correct me if I'm wrong.

What is understood: Tell me what you think.

What they mean: I know I'm right-please don't contradict me.

What they say: With the greatest respect . . .

What is understood: He is listening to me.

What they mean: I think you are wrong, or a fool.

What they say: That is an original point of view.

What is understood: He likes my ideas.

What they mean: You must be crazy!

What they say: Very interesting.

What is understood: He is impressed.

What they mean: I don't agree, or I don't believe you.

What they say: You must come for dinner sometime.

What is understood: I will get an invitation soon.

What they mean: Not an invitation, just being polite.

What they say: Quite good.

What is understood: Quite good.

What they mean: A bit disappointing.

This may not be a complete list terms used in the code. The sources may be limited. But, it does give an insight into the way we communicate. It gives you a starting point to assess how often, when and where do you talk in code.

Good Luck

Graham and Juliewww.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative and energy levels. Please go to:http://www.desktop-meditation.com It's free.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Customer Service Information:

Related Articles

How To Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch!
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Human Tech Tips -- Tip #1. How do we take your customer service and kick it up a notch?This is a big question so where do we begin?As an overview, it's a given that the answer is three-fold: People, Process, and Technology.
Become a Customer Enthusiasm-Guru!
One thing all successful small business owners have in common is the knowledge that their business is based on enthusiastic customers. Despite their multi-tasking titles of bookkeeper, service provider and sales-manager, their most important title is Customer-Enthusiasm Guru.
Empowering Customer Service Vital
It never fails to amaze me how many companies have employees who are empowered to offer former customers wonderful incentives to lure them back, yet their customer service representatives have the ability to offer virtually nothing to convince an unhappy customer to stay.Powerless, these CSRs often actually ignore customers' requests and declarations of their intent to leave, even encouraging them to seek out another company!They often repeat the few phrases they're allowed to say over and over again, further infuriating the customers.
Why Passenger Surveys are a Transport Operators Best Friend
Public transport operators who already use passenger surveys may not fully appreciate the multiple benefits that surveys can bring. Not only are surveys an efficient method of market research that will help identify areas of passenger dissatisfaction, they are also perfect for measuring the effects of improvements and can, at the same time, help promote new initiatives to customers using the service.
The Number 1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional
Have you ever walked into a store and things looked sloppy? Stores should have nice neat displays, right? Normally, yes, but sometimes they get a bit messy on busy days and we all understand how that can happen.But what if you were to walk into a store as soon as it opened in the morning and the place looked liked it had been ransacked? What would you think?You'd probably think it wasn't very professional-looking.
CEM Can Improve Customer Loyalty
'A 5 percent increase in customer retention increases profits by 25 to 95 percent.''The greater the loyalty of customers, employees, suppliers, and shareholders, the greater the profits reaped .
Adjustment DENIED
It's just a simple thing - I bought a new set of shelves for my office. It wasn't a real problem, but when I got the shelves home, I found dents on the front of the shelves where the package had been leaned up on some other object, the shelves had been removed from the original box and put into another box.
Caring for Your Customers
You probably think I am going to say something like, "The customer is always right." Right?? Wrong.
You Bever Know Who Youre Serving
You Never Know Who You're Serving when customers turn irate.I think of myself as a reasonable person.
What Every Employee Should Know About How to See Customers Problems from Their Creative Side
Customer Service is a blessing and a curse; a blessing to the customer and a curse to you, the employee. At least so it seems.
Customer Service Tips - Is Your Business A Leaky Bucket?
Customer service and customer service training are vital for any business.But, is your business a leaky bucket?This is a question I always ask small business owners who attend my marketing seminars.
Aint We Wonderful!
It may come as a surprise to you to discover that customers don't buy your products or services because they feel that you have a right to make a profit. In other words, their motive for doing business with you is not to help you buy the latest Jaguar or put your children through college.
I Wont Tell My Lawyer but I Will Tell You
A general counsel of a large international consulting firm told us about his experience talking to an interviewer who had called to discuss his satisfaction level with his outside law firm. He had been using the services of a "high end, expensive" law firm out of New York.
4 Things Your Clients Want From Your Company
Sure, all clients are different. They have different kinds of strengths, weaknesses, cultures and goals.
Difficult Customers - Theres No Such Thing
A couple of years ago I had a call from a Customer ServiceManager working in the paper industry. He wanted me to run aseminar for his team, on "How to Deal with DifficultCustomers".
Hit The Jackpot With Customer Complaints
Our most powerful instinct is to avoid customer complaints, but they may be the best thing that happens to your business. Here's why.
A New Way To Handle Complaints, Or Is It?
What a lot of money we have been wasting on dealing with customer complaints.Instead of dealing with them and attempting to satisfy the customer we should create a process that makes complaining so difficult then when customers complain they get such a huge negative experience and never receive any satisfaction.
Automating Your Help Desk Workflow
Do you know you can open, answer, close and report help desk information without human intervention?Automation is a powerful feature provided by most enterprise level help desk products; however, most organizations rarely take advantage of these features. Based on a survey conducted by RightStar Systems, only 5% of the help desk managers interviewed were using automation to its fullest capacity.
Five Tips to Calm Cranky Customers
1. Tis the SeasonRecognize that everyone is frazzled during the holidays- you and your customers.
Clients - What They Want from You
A growing number of individuals are finding themselves called to help others and go on to fulfil this call by training to become a practitioner in one of the healing arts.The range of conventional, traditional, holistic, complementary and alternative therapies is extensive with new thoughts on old themes being introduced almost daily.