Have ever
had anything funny happen to you while at work? It happened to me recently and
it wasn’t the first time.
Before I
begin the story, allow me to give you a little backstory. I have always encouraged
my teen boys to take speech classes and to accept speaking roles. “It’s a good
way to become comfortable speaking at gatherings,” I told them.
My words of
speaking advice for the boys has been threefold…
·
Speak
slowly
·
Speak
clearly
·
Project
your voice
As I made an
attempt to follow my own advice, I fell flat. It happened when I was called
upon to say a few words at a luncheon. Here’s my story.
Holiday Luncheon
It was our
annual Holiday Luncheon for one of our programs at work. There were over 150 people
present. Just before lunch was served, my coordinator asked our public
officials to greet the crowd. Each person gave a few remarks, then returned to
the back of the room, where I also stood.
I had
already circulated throughout the room greeting regular members and welcoming
new faces. It was not my plan to speak at the mic. However, as soon as I popped
a peppermint in my mouth, my coordinator said, “Angie, would you like to say a
few words?”
I quickly
crunched my peppermint as I walked around the maze of tables to the front of
the room. My comments started out with correct grammar, I projected my voice, and
then at some point, my tongue got twisted and did a thing of its own.
When trying
to say Merry Christmas, it came out Murray Crit Mas. And when I tried to
correct myself, I said it the same way again. I explained to the audience that
I really did know how to talk, but my tongue was not cooperating at the moment.
I wished them a Happy Holiday as they
laughed with me.
I had
mastered the art of speaking fluent gibberish.
When I told
my son about my fumbled speaking moment, he shared an embarrassing moment on
his job.
An escalator ride
 | |
| Going up the down escalator |
My teen son,
Donovan, is working at a department store for the holiday season. He told me
about an episode that happened the other day. He was given the task of
returning a few clothing items from one department to another. This required
taking an escalator ride.
My son
stepped onto the down escalator with his arms loaded with several pair of pants.
About four steps down, he looked back and realized that he’d dropped a pair of
pants at the top of the escalator.
Donovan
turned and attempted to run up the moving steps while they were still moving
downward. He said he felt like he was on an elliptical machine just moving, but
not going anywhere.
A customer
noticed Donovan’s signs of struggle, grabbed the pants from the floor and
tossed them to him. He caught the pants, chuckled and said, “thanks.”
What
bloopers have you experienced recently?
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