Category: Social Skills

Text message reply time.

~ SA Otey
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Your spouse: Immediate if not sooner

Co Workers

  • 15-20 minute delay if you are dumb enough to give them your personal cell phone.
  • Don’t set expectations too high for your availability

Family

  • Siblings: 1 day
    • Cousins: 2-3 days
  • Parents: within the hour, or the next day, depending on the guilt trip that’s attached

Others

  • People who want a favor: delete immediately and never respond.
  • When someone is in the same room: shout across the room your reply
  • While driving: Whenever a police officer is not looking.

What is your standard text message reply time?

The Importance of Teaching Grammar in Modern Marketing

~ SA Otey

Hulu says “Come TV with us” and Walmart says, “Easter like you mean it”. Why are we teaching grammar to our children? If marketing executives have thrown the rules of grammar out the window, why should we bother? I’ll tell you why it’s so our kids can eventually replace the people who can’t speak or write correctly.

I’ll admit that I’m not the bested expert at wordsmithing, but our society has done begun devolving into a new type of language.

Why a Spotless Home Might Be a Red Flag

~ SA Otey

Don’t you love it when you go over to someone’s house and it’s spotless? Well, it’s because you planned the visit. Go over in about a week, but unannounced. If it’s still spotless, don’t stay friends with that person. They will just make you feel bad about yourself because you and your life are a filthy mess.

However, if you invite someone over, please clean your house the best you’ve ever done in your life. Once they get there say things like. “Sorry this place is such a mess” Then you can make them feel bad and they will think you have such higher cleaning standards. Then they will not be your friend anymore.

The trick is to just leave your house a little dirty, let people know that you are still human.

How to argue on social media.

~ SA Otey
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Photo by Fancycrave on Pexels.com

Do you know someone who is always on the opposite side of your opinion? I’m not talking about your spouse, it’s supposed to be that way. But someone who always starts their response with “Well, actually…”

Star Wars vs Star Trek, DC vs Marvel, Republican vs Democrat vs some weirdo 3rd party, Christian vs Pagan (Don’t even get me started on the Religious subcultures, that’s an issue that loses more friendships than any)

Some people like to hear your opinion first to play “devil’s advocate” and get on your nerves. It’s tough to be friends with people like this. How do you deal with it? Well, you can always ask a bunch of follow-up questions if they are the type of person who makes statements. The best way is just to keep quiet and not share your opinions. Someone can’t shoot you down if you don’t give them any ammo. Read Twitter posts, and Facebook status, and just grin and move on. But you can’t right? So if you must be right all the time, unleash your best with no mercy and enjoy no friendships. Remember the Devil’s advocate is just another demon.

Surprising Psychological Trick People Use in Arguments – And How to Shut It Down Like a Pro!

~ SA Otey
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Dale Carnegie once said, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language”. Unless that name is said over and over in a debate or argument. For instance, you are trying to defend your belief or position on a topic and the person keeps interrupting you and saying your name. “But Bob, you know….” and “Bob, you don’t realize.” Or the best of all when they chain your name together. “Bob, Bob, Bob…”

I don’t know if that bothers anyone else, but I stop them and ask them why they keep saying my name. I say, “I know my own name, did you forget who you are talking to and you have to keep reminding yourself?” Stop being so condescending.