What the hare said to the tortoise

You’re probably familiar with Aesop’s fable about the tortoise who challenges the hare to a race, only for the hare to take a nap half way through, wake up too late and find his shell carrying opponent already across the finish line.

Over the centuries, there have been many interpretations of the moral of that story, but what does that tale of two unlikely rivals tell us about our communication skills?

The hare and the cold caller

In Aesop’s fable, the hare sets off at a fast pace and soon leaves the tortoise behind. Thinking that there was no chance of the tortoise catching him, the hare decides to get some beauty sleep.

In real life, that ‘can’t beat me’ approach can come across in many different guises. However, one that can really get one’s goat (no animal pun intended) is receiving telephone calls from cold callers who decide to launch into their sales patter at 100 miles an hour, without giving you a chance to get a word in edgeways!

The perceived aim of fast communication

Of course the aim of the cold caller is to talk so quickly, that once they give themselves the luxury of resting their vocal chords, their target buyer will be run into the ground and be unable to resist pursuing a purchase.

Whilst that tactic may work sometimes with the unwary, unfortunately for the salesperson, resting their  vocal chords is synonymous with Aesop’s hare falling asleep and not expecting to be overtaken by the tortoise. That’s because the ‘tortoise’ on the other end of the phone is often completely awake to the hare’s race strategy and is able to quickly nip it in the bud by crossing the line before the hare and politely putting the phone down.

However, with fast communication so prevalent in modern life through text messages, social media and email, the risk of coming across like a ‘hare-type’ sales person is always there, which may sadly lead to later regret and the ‘I wish I had worded that message differently’.

The beauty of ‘tortoise-type’ communication

On the other hand, the tortoise method of communication takes a completely different approach.

In Aesop’s fable, the tortoise knew where the finishing line was, but he wasn’t concerned about how or when the hare was going to get there. He had the self-assurance to stick to his own guns and get there at his own speed, following his own well thought out strategy.

Translating that into communication style, a measured and well thought out approach to communication always comes across far better than having your ears bulldozed. Many of the world’s great speakers are able to communicate in a way that sounds natural, confident and self-assured, allowing them to portray the message that they really want to get across to their audience.

In turn, that communication style is more likely to make a listener trust the speaker and in turn, facilitate a more natural & honest conversation and better relationships.

Talking is only part of communication

The real challenge to effective communication however, doesn’t lie just in how fast or slow we speak, but in listening too.

In reading Aesop’s fable, one has to question why the tortoise had to challenge the hare to a race in the first place? If the hare had the self-awareness to appreciate that his ridiculing of the tortoise was bullying (and hurting) him, perhaps there would have been no need for the race to take place?

So maybe the true moral of Aesop’s fable is one of how better communication can prevent hurt, suffering and the need for seeking oneupmanship. By listening not just through our ears, but through our sense of when humans are hurting, we can become more aware of our behaviour. And in doing so, that awareness can influence for the better, how we communicate and build more effective relationships with one another.

Of course, we all like to be able to ‘get things done’ and quick communication can be useful for that, but  stopping to think and listen usually leads to better and more constructive conversations.

Ultimately, as humans, we are all different and like the hare and the tortoise, we will all get to the finish line in our own time. However, what really matters, isn’t how fast we talk, but helping each other to all get across the finish line in one piece.