If The Shoe Fits: The Challenge Of Literalists
by Miki SaxonA Friday series exploring Startups and the people who make them go. Read all If the Shoe Fits posts here.
When I was young there was a riddle making the rounds (it probably still is) that went like this.
Railroad crossing look out for the cars, can you spell it without any rs?
You could spend a lifetime puzzling over how to spell ‘railroad crossing’ without an r.
Or you could spend just a few seconds focusing and thinking about what was actually said (or rereading it if written), instead of reacting to the overall idea.
There is constant chatter about how fast you must go to keep up with today’s world, so who has time to focus/think?
Of course, if you listen mindfully, instead of multitasking, or read carefully, instead of scanning, you wouldn’t have to go back and do it over.
The people who have no trouble with riddles like this one are literalists.
They respond to exactly what they hear/see because you can’t be a literalist without being mindful. The two go hand-in-hand.
Why should this matter to you?
Because your your instructions need to work for both, as the following two examples, one conversational and one written, graphically show.
and
Hat tip to KG Charles-Harris for sharing these examples.
Image credit: HikingArtist
