How many times during a week do you go to a business, store,
or restaurant and you have questions about a product, price, or menu—about anything?
And how many times at work or at home do you interact with a co-worker,
significant other, or a child and have even more questions? Let’s keep it
simple and round up; we’ll go with a thousand times. During these one thousand
interactions, you have questions that are clearly bothering you in the sense
that you’re looking for answers, sooner rather than later.
Now, look at the following set of three questions that you
could ask someone along with some possible answers that could be given to you.
Pick your preferred answer and we’ll continue in a moment.
Q. I notice that the shirt is not available in a medium size; could you order one for me?
A. Absolutely! B. No problem! C. Not a problem! D. Yes ma’am, we can.
Q. I really want that hamburger on toast instead of the bun. Can you do that?
A. Not a problem! B. I can absolutely do that. C. That is absolutely not a problem. D. Yes sir.
Q. Hey (insert co-worker’s name here), thanks for making that fresh pot of coffee.
A. No problem! B. Not a problem. C. You are absolutely welcome. D. You are welcome.
Q. I notice that the shirt is not available in a medium size; could you order one for me?
A. Absolutely! B. No problem! C. Not a problem! D. Yes ma’am, we can.
Q. I really want that hamburger on toast instead of the bun. Can you do that?
A. Not a problem! B. I can absolutely do that. C. That is absolutely not a problem. D. Yes sir.
Q. Hey (insert co-worker’s name here), thanks for making that fresh pot of coffee.
A. No problem! B. Not a problem. C. You are absolutely welcome. D. You are welcome.
For me, my favorite answer to all three questions was the
last choice. Was “D” your favorite choice as well? If not, then that’s ok, and I
respect your choice. For those of you who chose “D”, I would like to explore
why we chose it. I can think of several reasons: It is a clean and definitive affirmative
response with no room for confusion; it doesn’t tempt us to ask an awkward follow-up
question; it’s traditional; it’s polite; and it’s not one of the other three
answers.
Combining answer “D” with the other choices could work almost
as well while taking some of the abrasiveness away from the other choices.
Consider these acceptable responses:
- Yes ma’am. That would be no problem.
- Yes sir. Fortunately, that would be no problem because we
have some fresh bread on hand.
- That is absolutely impossible for me to do because we have
no bread.
- You’re welcome. It is not a problem for me to do that.
So we see that the words themselves aren’t the problem, and there
are countless uses of the words “absolutely” and “problem” that are just fine.
It becomes problematic when the person at whom the phrase is used thinks the
answer is curt, rude, unclear, or unprofessional. The answer may, in turn, make
the person feel awkward, confused, or disrespected. If we want to communicate
successfully and make others feel special, using the right words will help.
When we ask questions of others, usually we have compelling
reasons to do so. We need to determine—without doubt—an answer. Like Jimmy
Buffett wrote, we have a question that is bothering us to some degree and we
want someone to answer it. In recent years, language has gotten relaxed and
sometimes we get relaxed answers from others. In general, I think this is a great
trend and makes for a better world. Sometimes, however, we need to speak up and
call out those phrases or words that are annoying, bothersome, unclear,
just-plain-wrong, or open ended. The answers I write about today are
grouped into two categories that I wish did not exist: “No Problem” (and its
variations) and “Absolutely” (and its variations).
Do I want to ban these words? No. I’d just prefer them not
used in certain circumstances, such as shown in the three questions posed
above. It makes good business and personal sense by not avoiding this grammar issue and
instead addressing it head on. By formally training our workers and staff on
how to properly answer customers’ questions, businesses would make customer experiences
so much better. Similarly, if we hint to a relative that their answer is
ambiguous or, in essence, a non-answer, then we will help them make some
improvements that will be of great benefit across many areas of their life.
They may even appreciate our suggestions at some point. How about that?
Now back to our two categories. Are the people who use these
responses terrible people who should be shunned? Absolutely not! (Ouch. This is
another usage that can be decreased.) I meant to say “No, of course not.” In
fact, my hunch is that those who use these phrases are people who have inherent
enthusiasm, excitement, and friendliness; the last thing we want to do is
dampen those fine attributes. The world needs more people just like this who
want to make others feel good and have fantastic experiences. Just this past
week, for example, I read a quote from an enthusiastic senior executive in a
restaurant chain who stated in a major business magazine: “We have absolutely
seen increased consumer demand for pork.” She got her point across to the
readers, but my point is that the word “absolutely” in this context is probably
not needed; and if you’re going to use a strong-sounding word, why not say
something like this: “We have seen substantial (or unbelievable, or
record-shattering, or previously unseen) increased consumer demand for pork.” Or,
just leave out the word; the sentence will be just fine.
I ask my readers to help out those around you when appropriate,
and make a suggestion here or a constructive comment there. You could even look
puzzled at hazy answers; this may prompt the person to offer an alternative and
better answer. All of this will go a long way in getting clear, definitive, and
positive answers to the questions that are bothering you so.
Please bookmark my blog, thank you for your time, and I’ll
see you in a couple of weeks.
Randall Ponder, Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA www.editing-expert.com https://www.twitter.com/randallponder @randallponder
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