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Passion and Profanity

October 15th, 2012 · No Comments

by Dwayne Phillips

Profanity is not an indication of passion. There are many other explanations for it.

In a recent meeting, a colleagues let loose a stream of profanity. A moment later he said, “Please excuse my passion.”

Sigh.

Here we go. Profanity is not an expression of passion. I know plenty of passionate people who don’t utter profane phrases.

Some causes of profanity:

  1. ignorance of the English language
  2. fatigue
  3. duress
  4. misjudging the audience
  5. anger

I go with number 2 most of the time. People are simply tired. Their minds aren’t working well, so they cannot find the words they need to express themselves adequately.

Response? Stop the meeting. Take a break. Let people rest and eat for a few moments. If a person is so tired that they can’t speak in polite language, they are probably too tired to accomplish any work.

Tags: Breathe · Communication · Management

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