Introspection...

Stop Press! - Naomi and Neil (2 friends of mine) have had a baby boy, Nick - a big public CONGRATULATIONS to you both. Lots of fun times ahead!

Alas it has been a short and largely unproductive week for me at work. After an RDO on Monday I went straight into a training course for 2 days on my return. If you didn't hear my exclamation - TWO DAYS - of Client Services Training. Now I find most courses which aren't technical based and therefore not of direct relevance to either my field of work or knowledge base, unnecessary. Those which I am 'obligated' to attend as part of 'middle management training' I have even less time for, as they are purely a means of fulfilling 'quotas' - in short a w__k.

So it was with great delight that I and 8 others of equally passionate service mentality, fronted the class on Tuesday. What could have been a dull course was made bearable by my compatriots who with huge levels of experience in the job (~21 - 31yrs) were told how to suck eggs and had great fun at asking how hard! Meanwhile I sat back and took everything in, in my quite manner, and observed the trainer. Beware the quiet ones! I was still participating in the course and was not overtly (let's hope my poker face was working) negative, yet even so I was singled out by the trainer.

Now this isn't the first time this has happened, and yet I still find it extremely interesting how it exemplifies how threatening some people perceive silence to be. The trainer obviously thought so - and decided he needed to befriend me to win over this girl from the mute side. Now for someone who does training regularly, (10 years he proported), and has a fair grasp on social interactions (if his training outline was anything to go by) - he should know better! So as I sat down after morning tea before the others had come back into the room, the trainer sidled over to me and planted himself down, smack bang in my personal space (issue 1 - closer is not necessarily better). With an intent air he leaned forward to show his willingness for a close exchange, and asked where I had studied (a question I had answered before in the 'ice breaking' session). I gave my short and courteous reply and gave him no room for expansion. Yet he persisted, telling me how much he had disliked entomology (which he'd mentioned during the 'ice breaking' session) and I said a very offhand single sentence in affirmation (issue 2 - people who don't listen). Looking at me intently as if I would feed him some great pearls of wisdom and grinning far too broadly for the exchange, he stared at me. Ah yes? I thought - and you would want what? A question on my part? Sorry but this fishy isn't biting and didn't want to be fed in the first place. Then looking lost for things to say and with no rescue line from me moved off as quickly as he had come.

Now you may think me rude, but I was not. I was polite and gave more than a single word reply to what was a lengthier exchange than I described, yet I was fuming internally. I knew exactly what he was doing and why, and I didn't appreciate it nor would it aid the class dynamics thereafter. I knew he wanted me to talk more during the course - and the man who had just prior explained his knowledge of psychology and the introversion/extroversion scales thought ambushing me was the way to do it! It may be one way but it certainly isn't an effective one - any deer, pig or bear can tell you that!

It amazes me how confronting someone who listens well, is polite and does not offer up huge chunks of either personal history or opinion, can be to others. Man the barricades here cometh the mutanous mutes! Now I'm no mute though - as most of you would be aware - and I certainly have no great problems interacting in a social setting yet I do enjoy my silence. Obviously I'm a bit of an elephant when it comes to the subject as I just remembered my grade 12 english 'thesis' was on "Solitude - Alone not Lonely"! Aaah the life of a hermit for me ;-) I can certainly understand how someone who is extrememly hard to engage in conversation would be frustrating to deal with - but someone who is genuinely eager to learn and just not overtly forthcoming when there are other more extroverted people around, I do not see as a problem.

So yet another dazzling lighthearted piece to ponder! I really am getting bad at this - blogger not soap box Jazzy Cat!

So I say adieu for now - off to sample the delicious delights of fair Melbourne for Andrew's birthday weekend away. I will come back with lots of tall tales but this time of much more digestible pursuits!

Lest we Forget - tomorrow and always.