April 1, 2009PowerPhrase of the Week ~ I picked up the phone in case the call was urgent
When Devon found out it was Jean on the phone, he said, “Can I call you back tomorrow? I’m in the middle of some things. I just picked up the phone in case it was an important call.”
Devon immediately qualified his comment, because he didn’t mean to indicate Jean’s call wasn’t important to him – just that he was fighting fires and prefered to stay focused if her call could wait.
What could he have said?
- I picked up the phone in case the call was urgent.
Jean’s call was important but not urgent. Precision matters, doesn’t it?
By the way, here’s a sign an assistant sent me years ago that lets people know when she’s fighting fires. We all should have signs like this.
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Why does Devon have to qualify why he picked up the phone. Isn’t it enought to say “I’m in the midding of some things” and let it go at that?
Comment by Barbara Mitchell — April 2, 2009 @ 11:20 am
Neither “important” nor “urgent” makes Devon’s comment acceptable! A nice simple “I’m in the middle of a big project at the moment. May I call you back tomorrow?” would be more acceptable to me.
Comment by SueAnne Farley — April 2, 2009 @ 11:21 am