Posted by BJ
No doubt all of us have had someone at some point say, “Have a nice day.” I know many people find this to be overly used, tired and assume the person making the suggestion to be somewhat (ok, quite a bit!) less than sincere. I’m okay with the expression myself.Some people don’t think others should be telling them what kind of day they should have. A case in point. My good friend and fellow consultant Izzy Gesell, obviously feels this way as his phone message concludes with, “Have any kind of day you’d like to have.”
I’m prompted to write this entry by hearing Rita Rudner, the brilliant stand-up comic, author, actress, etc.) finish a show with, “Have an even greater one.”, which is obviously taking the expression, “Have a good one.” to the next level.
I’m not comfortable with the expression, “Have a good one.” It never fails to prompt me to consider the question, “A good what?”
In the past I’ve responded with, “Thanks. I already do.” or “Actually, I have two good ones, thanks.” (If you find either of these offensive, I’d suggest that the statement itself isn’t offensive but that the offense comes from whatever you’ve decided the “good” object to be.)
Why bring this up here and how is it relevant to proposals?
We’re at risk of causing a similar reaction in those who review and evaluate the proposals we submit. We need to careful consider how what we present might be taken in order not to offend or annoy. As with many aspects of proposal development and as has oft been stated, “A bit of paranoia is a good thing when working on proposals.”
No doubt all of us have had someone at some point say, “Have a nice day.” I know many people find this to be overly used, tired and assume the person making the suggestion to be somewhat (ok, quite a bit!) less than sincere. I’m okay with the expression myself.Some people don’t think others should be telling them what kind of day they should have. A case in point. My good friend and fellow consultant Izzy Gesell, obviously feels this way as his phone message concludes with, “Have any kind of day you’d like to have.”
I’m prompted to write this entry by hearing Rita Rudner, the brilliant stand-up comic, author, actress, etc.) finish a show with, “Have an even greater one.”, which is obviously taking the expression, “Have a good one.” to the next level.
I’m not comfortable with the expression, “Have a good one.” It never fails to prompt me to consider the question, “A good what?”
In the past I’ve responded with, “Thanks. I already do.” or “Actually, I have two good ones, thanks.” (If you find either of these offensive, I’d suggest that the statement itself isn’t offensive but that the offense comes from whatever you’ve decided the “good” object to be.)
Why bring this up here and how is it relevant to proposals?
We’re at risk of causing a similar reaction in those who review and evaluate the proposals we submit. We need to careful consider how what we present might be taken in order not to offend or annoy. As with many aspects of proposal development and as has oft been stated, “A bit of paranoia is a good thing when working on proposals.”