Post by Bob Pointer.

Many years ago, in a city far far away a young cop on his first night duty came across a unfolding episode in front of him. The scene was chaotic. One man, dressed like a stockbroker in a pink striped shirt and pinstripes had a badly bleeding nose. The other a large builder with hands like bunches of bananas, looked very subdued and thoroughly embarrassed. After speaking to everyone present, the story unfolded. The stockbroker had enjoyed one too many bottles of Pinot Grigio and was staggering towards a taxi rank when he stepped in dog mess. He stopped in a doorway to scrape it off his shoe. Moments later, the builder fuelled by pints of Guinness walked the same route and suffered exactly the same fate. As he looked down in frustration, a drunken voice behind him giggled: “I just did that.” The builder saw red called him an animal… and punched him in the face. A misunderstanding. A split-second assumption. A few careless words. True story? Yes. As the young police officer dealing with the aftermath that night, I learned a lesson I’ve never forgotten. Words are weapons. They can build trust or destroy it. They can clarify or confuse. They can calm a situation or ignite one. Before we speak, it’s worth asking ourselves one question: Will my words make this situation better—or worse? We all have capacity to physically or metaphorically step in poo. Kent Clizbe Zachary Elwood Ben Cardall LSRA, SAS-AP L2 Instructor Jim Wenzel PPS, SAS-AP, SAS-L2 Instructor Sue Palmer-Conn aka The Divorce Doctor Ruth Fenton MBA Solicitor Conrad Slater Paul Wright