Imagine you're on the way to class. You have a few minutes before you have to be there and you're not feeling as peppy as usual, so you head over to Dunkin Donuts to grab yourself a coffee. You wait in line patiently, and finally make it to the counter. The girl comes up to you and asks "Hi, What can I get for you?", as rehearsed hundreds of times. You quickly reply "Medium Hott, Extra Extra!" She quickly gets your coffee, you pay, and you're off to class.
You probably are not going to see that counter girl again or have another conversation with her further than her taking your order.
How is the way you communicate with everyday people that you have no interpersonal relationship with opposed to how you communicate with people you have an interpersonal relationship with?
10 comments:
Best Blog EVERRRRRR hahaha I agree though. You see these people that you buy things from and stuff EVERY day and it's weird because for instance. If you're a business person, and a faithful coffee drinker, You have probably seen the lady who works at the town Dunkie's EVERY day. You've probably come in contact with her more than some of your friends! However when talking to her it is still completely impersonal. It's weird!
I think you create this really awkward relationship with people you see everyday almost, but don't have to exchage words with. Like you can joke with each other about how much coffee you drink, why you drink and how much money you spend, but that's all. I think you subconciously limit the information you give people you see in that type of situation because who else is going to listen to you complain about how much coffee you drink?
I agree with Maria - its just weird! I honestly avoid going to the same cvs or brooks every week because i feel like after years of going to the same few and seeing the same workers its awkward because although I see them a lot more than friends of mine i still don't know anything about them.
I also work at an Olive Garden and we have an older gentlemen who comes in twice a week by himself and i don't know whether i should act like i know him and strike up converstation or to let him be, as he seems to be a quiet and private person.
This is a good topic, because people are forced to communicate with people that we have no connection to all the time. I think it is easier to talk to these people because you dont really care, so you just say what you need to in order to get what you want from them, usually people dont get nervous around a waitress or someone behind a counter.
I think its different talking to someone when you know your never going to see them again because you don't care what oppinions they ahve of you, or whether or not they like you.
I think its different talking to someone when you know your never going to see them again because you don't care what oppinions they ahve of you, or whether or not they like you.
I think there is a huge difference between to two. I work at a grocery store and people just tend to be so much ruder and not care how they come across when they know they're probably never going to see you again. It shows a lot about a person for both when they are pleasant or rude to someone they don't know.
I think it is very different, but some people try to make it a little more personal by saying how are you doin (or how you doin')ect. This is only going to get worse with the invention of Kiosks which will completely eliminate the interpersonal relationship no matter how quick and impersonal they are. so we should really try and make these quick little things more personal and enjoy them while they last, because computers don't talk back.
I think that sometimes the way that you interact and communicate with a stranger can is based upon your personality. For example, I was a waitress two years ago, and I am very outgoing. I would talk to people all the time about their children and families if they brought it up, and I was especially fond of the regulars that came in who would always ask how school was going. Sometimes it's easier to have a positive intimate conversation with people you don't know very well as opposed to trying to talk to an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend or an old friend who you've grown apart from.
Great work.
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