Miscommunication in communication!

As many of you may already know, good communication is one of the key elements in a happy marriage and functional family system. Good communication is not just a necessity in families. It is vital that good communication take place at work, in your church, and within relationships. Never assume that the other person(s) understand unless it comes directly from you. Below is a rather lengthy but funny example of the need for good face to face communication.

As I understand, the following came from a reprint from an exchange within a London Hotel that was printed in the London Sunday Times, though I have been unable to confirm that. It was sent to me via email by a friend years ago and I have kept a copy of it to share here.

What to do with Hotel Soap?

The following letters are taken from an actual incident between a London Hotel and one of its guests. The Hotel ended up submitting the letters to the London Sunday Times.

Dear Maid,

Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.

Thank you,

S. Berman

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Dear Room 635,

I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only 3 bars I left today of which my instruction from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.

Kathy, Relief Maid

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Dear Maid- I hope you are my regular maid,

Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for 2 weeks and have brought my own bath-sized Dial so I won’t need those 6 little  Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them.

S. Berman.

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Dear Mr. Berman,

My day off was last Wednesday so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management to do. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn’t remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Your regular maid,

Dotty

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Dear Mr. Berman,

The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any further complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8am and 5pm. Thank you.

Elaine Carmen

Housekeeper

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Dear Mrs. Carmen,

It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45am and don’t get back before 5:30pm. That’s the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bathroom shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?

S. Berman

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Dear Mr. Berman,

Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8am and 5pm. Thank you.

Elaine Carmen,

Housekeeper

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Dear Mr. Kensedder,

My bath-sized Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-sized Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.

S. Berman

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Dear Mr. Berman,

I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.

Martin L. Kensedder

Assistant Manager

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Dear Mrs. Carmen,

Who the heck left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don’t want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one darn bar of bath-sized Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here? All I want is my bath-sized Dial. Please give me back my bath-sized Dial.

S. Berman.

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Dear Mr. Berman,

You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are supposed to receive daily. I don’t know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays.

I don’t know where you got the idea that this hotel issues bath-sized Dial. I was able to locate some bath-sized Ivory which I left in your room.

Elaine Carmen

Housekeeper

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Dear Mrs. Carmen,

Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory. As of today I possess:

On the shelf under the medicine cabinet- 10 Camays in 4 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.

On the Kleenex dispenser- 11 Camays in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.

On the bedroom dresser- 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquets, 1 stack of 4 hotel sized Ivorys, 

and 8 Camays in 2 stacks of 4.

In the medicine cabinet- 14 Camays in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.

In the shower soap dish – 6 Camays, very moist.

On the northeast corner of the tub – 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.

On the northwest corner of the tub – 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.

Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item, I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault to avoid further misunderstandings.

S. Berman

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This is a great and funny example of how our well intentioned communications can totally misrepresent what we are saying unless we have face-to-face clearly explained communications. Internet communications, text messages, and emails are unable to accurately convey emotions, eye contact, body language, and a true sense of understanding. I advise people not to have deep conversations over email or text messaging. Those two mediums just cannot translate what we really mean nor what we are trying to say.

One way to help manage our own communication is to be as in control of it as possible. In marriages and relationships, take the time/effort to explain in detail how you feel and to take the energy needed to convey what you want to convey. Spouses and friends will let unsaid feelings speak for them. Let your words be clear and you feelings well understood.

Do you understand?

Peace,

Dr. Trey Kuhne