Fall For Greenville is coming up this weekend, and this morning I was reminded of a scene I observed last year that has gotten me thinking. At last year’s event, Stephan and I were walking around trying the different food available for sampling, and we stopped at a booth to buy some cupcakes. While there, we started talking with a nice couple, and we stood off to the side of the booth to finish the conversation and eat our cupcakes. As we were standing there, we heard a husband and wife ordering cupcakes and talking to each other. When the woman was handed her cupcake, the nice young salesperson congenially said, “Here you go, Ma’am!”

I’m sure you can guess what happened next based on the title of this post. The husband guffawed and said loudly, “You just got ‘Ma’amed’ ya old bat!!!” At this, the four of us who were involved in a calm conversation whipped our heads around to see what we missed. We also had to take a peek at the man who dared to call his wife an “old bat” in public–not to mention point out the fact that she got “ma’amed.” They didn’t seem to notice that everything had gotten quiet around them as conversation halted. They walked off obliviously as chuckles ensued from those who had been close enough to observe the scene.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t think that I would like to be talked to like that in public. As a matter of fact, the couple whom we were talking with at the time both expressed that she would never stand for that, and that he knew better. But… as I think about this more I’ve realized that we all have our own distinct ways of giving and receiving communication. I’ll leave that up to the “old bat” as to whether or not she considered it a term of endearment or if he got the silent treatment on the way home. I guess we’ll never know, but I think it might be safe to assume that her husband knew her well enough to understand what was appropriate in conversing with her.

Just a thought to mull over… every office, every family, every industry has their own unique “language” that they understand within context. If an outsider observes some of this language, it might confuse them. Don’t change who you are and how you communicate just because someone’s watching you, but if you happen to be talking with someone who may not understand your cultural jargon, be aware of this and adjust accordingly.

Hopefully, you’ll be able to go to Fall For Greenville this weekend and see what’s available as far as our town’s dining goes. While you’re there, make sure you take some time to interact with fellow Greenville occupants. You might be surprised by the conversation.