Can you remember the last major misunderstanding you had with someone? You said one thing, they heard something different, and the result was a mess. It may turn out to be really funny when you look back on it years later. But not in that moment. In that moment, it was frustrating.
A man named Norm Williams shared a misunderstanding he had at his local library when he requested copies of two books by author Deborah Tannen. Tannen is a communication researcher. One of her most popular books is titled That’s Not What I Meant. Another is titled You Just Don’t Understand. Williams went to the library and asked the clerk to check the availability of these two books by Deborah Tannen.
“What’s the first book?” the librarian asked.
“That’s Not What I Meant,” he said.
“Well, what did you me…