Comments on: Speech is silver, brevity is golden http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/ Frivolous banter about life. A humorous look at Indian, American and Indian American culture. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:06:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Kus tavan http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-3801 Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:51:55 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-3801 TD I found your blog just a day ago... and I have already got hooked to it. Imagine - I have been reading back all archives and thats where I saw this one - which I thought I must comment on - though its more than a year old post... (Btw, as you would have guessed - I dont comment just for sake for showing up my hand)... Interesting observation about the phone etiquette here - and I dont mind you taking liberty with typecasting Indian callers - least of all because I am based in India... But guess what - I have been working with non-Indian managers based out of Bay area for about 10 years now... and I have personally had the same issue with many of them. To the extent that I dodged giving out my cell number to some of them as long as I could...and on occasions would switch it off before hitting the sack... For a brief period I even had my office phone redirected to my cell - for being reachable to various customers/vendors during day time here - and Imagine your US collegues giving you a ring at 3am - expecting you to be at your desk in office at that hour. Unfortunately the call redirect would catch me anyways... You may find it tough to believe - but some of my collegues even expressed surprise when they found I was sleeping - some folks (well educated ones) find it difficult to figure out that India could be many many time zones away... I guess that a bit of an American things anyways - whole of US is world...all states of US playing is a world series... so when I am awake the world must be awake too. Just a contrarian point of view... Btw... loved almost all your posts so far... still got a few months of archive to dig thru... TD

I found your blog just a day ago… and I have already got hooked to it. Imagine - I have been reading back all archives and thats where I saw this one - which I thought I must comment on - though its more than a year old post… (Btw, as you would have guessed - I dont comment just for sake for showing up my hand)…

Interesting observation about the phone etiquette here - and I dont mind you taking liberty with typecasting Indian callers - least of all because I am based in India…

But guess what - I have been working with non-Indian managers based out of Bay area for about 10 years now… and I have personally had the same issue with many of them. To the extent that I dodged giving out my cell number to some of them as long as I could…and on occasions would switch it off before hitting the sack…

For a brief period I even had my office phone redirected to my cell - for being reachable to various customers/vendors during day time here - and Imagine your US collegues giving you a ring at 3am - expecting you to be at your desk in office at that hour. Unfortunately the call redirect would catch me anyways…

You may find it tough to believe - but some of my collegues even expressed surprise when they found I was sleeping - some folks (well educated ones) find it difficult to figure out that India could be many many time zones away… I guess that a bit of an American things anyways - whole of US is world…all states of US playing is a world series… so when I am awake the world must be awake too.

Just a contrarian point of view…

Btw… loved almost all your posts so far… still got a few months of archive to dig thru…

]]> by: Yashita http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-250 Wed, 09 Aug 2006 08:14:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-250 hahhaa...though this hasn't happened to me, I can well imagine!:) hahhaa…though this hasn’t happened to me, I can well imagine!:)

]]> by: Webmiztris http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-249 Thu, 03 Aug 2006 15:50:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-249 i'm totally with you. people need to cut the crap. we don't need a full minute or 2 of formalities - just get to the point! i’m totally with you. people need to cut the crap. we don’t need a full minute or 2 of formalities - just get to the point!

]]> by: Twisted DNA http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-248 Wed, 02 Aug 2006 14:56:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-248 how do we know: You do have a point that if you don't like something you should tell it to the face. But you see, I have to work with this guy everyday so I can't afford to piss this guy off by being honest. The closest I came to telling him was, "We need to keep these calls short" and "Dude, can we get straight to the point?" I do also agree on the importance of pleasantries when we are calling once in a while. I do engage in such inane exchange when I call people. But if we are calling each other alsmost everyday and I do know that the guy doesn't care if I am alive or dead, it kind of gets on the nerves. how do we know:
You do have a point that if you don’t like something you should tell it to the face. But you see, I have to work with this guy everyday so I can’t afford to piss this guy off by being honest. The closest I came to telling him was, “We need to keep these calls short” and “Dude, can we get straight to the point?”

I do also agree on the importance of pleasantries when we are calling once in a while. I do engage in such inane exchange when I call people. But if we are calling each other alsmost everyday and I do know that the guy doesn’t care if I am alive or dead, it kind of gets on the nerves.

]]> by: How do we know http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-247 Wed, 02 Aug 2006 11:52:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-247 The guy just did 1 minute of preliminary!! its considered rude to NOT do it in some cultures. If you don't like it, tell the guy so, once and for all.. why do we assume that people will know what we want? And yes, btw, if you call someone in the East of the world, please do the preliminaries of "how are you?", unless you want a funny blog entry about YOUR phone etiquette. Oh, and has it occured to you that "were you sleeping?" Could also mean" Can I give you the details or do you want a one liner on the reason for this call?" Guess, "Were you sleeping" is more brief than "Details or one line?" The guy just did 1 minute of preliminary!! its considered rude to NOT do it in some cultures. If you don’t like it, tell the guy so, once and for all.. why do we assume that people will know what we want?

And yes, btw, if you call someone in the East of the world, please do the preliminaries of “how are you?”, unless you want a funny blog entry about YOUR phone etiquette.

Oh, and has it occured to you that “were you sleeping?” Could also mean” Can I give you the details or do you want a one liner on the reason for this call?” Guess, “Were you sleeping” is more brief than “Details or one line?”

]]> by: Twisted DNA http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-246 Tue, 01 Aug 2006 07:20:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-246 green satya: Exactly! Both parties know either don't if the other party is dead or alive as long as the task at hand is done nachi: That's another thing! Calling the night and asking, "were you asleep?" bishu: You should try saing, "Yes, I am sleeping as we speak" :) mary poppins: LOL. That must be very annoying momo: Ya, caller ID is another thing. "Here is my number" "I alrady have on the caller ID" "Oh, is it 214-555-1212?" Aaarrgg.. Does he understand what caller ID is? jamie: Occasionally, once in a month or so, there is a real issue. So unfortunately I can't turn the phone off. I am not working with that team any more anyway. h.e.eigler: Haha. I think one guy did it to me. It must have been really fun it I had thought of sending him to the voice mail heather: Welcome to my blog Saranya Kishore: We all do it some time or the other. More over it's not annoying if it is a personal call to a friend. If it is a business call, its very annoying sharda: Thanks :) Ya, we have to respond that is the problem. I do wish I can just hang up the phone in mid-sentence though! green satya:
Exactly! Both parties know either don’t if the other party is dead or alive as long as the task at hand is done

nachi:
That’s another thing! Calling the night and asking, “were you asleep?”

bishu:
You should try saing, “Yes, I am sleeping as we speak” :)

mary poppins:
LOL. That must be very annoying

momo:
Ya, caller ID is another thing.
“Here is my number”
“I alrady have on the caller ID”
“Oh, is it 214-555-1212?”
Aaarrgg.. Does he understand what caller ID is?

jamie:
Occasionally, once in a month or so, there is a real issue. So unfortunately I can’t turn the phone off. I am not working with that team any more anyway.

h.e.eigler:
Haha. I think one guy did it to me. It must have been really fun it I had thought of sending him to the voice mail

heather:
Welcome to my blog

Saranya Kishore:
We all do it some time or the other. More over it’s not annoying if it is a personal call to a friend. If it is a business call, its very annoying

sharda:
Thanks :) Ya, we have to respond that is the problem. I do wish I can just hang up the phone in mid-sentence though!

]]> by: sharda http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-245 Mon, 31 Jul 2006 23:03:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-245 Hey nice blog.You are right ,some times calls like these are very annoying but the dilemma is is you have to grudginly respond to them,no matter what. Hey nice blog.You are right ,some times calls like these are very annoying but the dilemma is is you have to grudginly respond to them,no matter what.

]]> by: Saranya Kishore http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-244 Mon, 31 Jul 2006 14:14:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-244 LOL!!! :--) That was soo effunny!! :--) I think I sometimes, do that, inadvertantly too, only sometimes. LOL!!! :–)

That was soo effunny!! :–)

I think I sometimes, do that, inadvertantly too, only sometimes.

]]> by: heather http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-243 Sun, 30 Jul 2006 15:26:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-243 muahaha. :P hi! lol muahaha. :P hi! lol

]]> by: H.E.Eigler http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-242 Sat, 29 Jul 2006 15:24:00 +0000 http://www.twisted-dna.com/2006/07/27/speech-is-silver-brevity-is-golden/#comment-242 Here is my all time worst (or best) work phone conversation: Me: Good morning, you've reached stupid workplace, this is Heddy speaking. Caller: Yes, can I speak to Heddy please? Me: One moment. Me: transferring caller to voicemail. Voicemail: Heddy is unavailable right now, please leave a message. Here is my all time worst (or best) work phone conversation:

Me: Good morning, you’ve reached stupid workplace, this is Heddy speaking.

Caller: Yes, can I speak to Heddy please?

Me: One moment.

Me: transferring caller to voicemail.

Voicemail: Heddy is unavailable right now, please leave a message.

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