Tone, if not eye contact

Transcript

Hi, good morning. It’s John-Paul and this is a quiet early morning voice note to the world.

I got up early again. I came down while it was still dark. It’s only now getting light.

I fed Peanut, my schnauzer, and she ate noisily from her rattling metal bowl and then ran off. She always does that. As if she’s looking for someone. My theory is that she’s going to tell my wife that she’s eaten, and I stand by that theory.

I had planned to play you a voice message, a real voice message that I sent to someone yesterday. But it turned out to be very fiddly, so instead I’ll tell you what I said.

He had booked one of my Unoffice Hours. It’s a free slot that I run on Tuesdays where anyone can book a chat about anything. Sometimes it’s someone I know well, sometimes someone I’ve never met, and I’ve always enjoyed them.

He sent the email to say he had to cancel because of a work commitment, and that he had mostly wanted just to ask how life was treating me. It seemed like a very nice thing to have said.

We met originally at a speechwriters’ conference and he knows a lot about public speaking. And he added that it would have been nicer to ask over Zoom in that session rather than over email. Because tone counts, he said, and eye contact helps.

So I sent him a voice message. I said that at least this way he would get the tone, if not the eye contact. I said I was touched by his question and that, all things considered, I was pretty good.

Even though it was the day that I went to the funeral of one of my favourite school teachers. Which is of course a sad occasion. But it was also good to be with so many people – some I hadn’t seen for years – and to remember what a great effect she had on me.

So there you are. This has been a voice note about a voice note. I don’t know what you’ll make of that.

The daylight’s getting stronger now. I fed my dog and I’ve sent a voice note to the world.

Thanks for listening.

jp at this domain name.