Matthew, the 3-year-old son of Stewart Cook, was eating an apple in the back seat of the car when he asked, "Daddy, why is my apple turning brown?" His dad explained, "Because after you ate the skin off, the meat of the apple came into contact with the air, which caused it to oxidize, thus changing its molecular structure and turning it into a different color." This answer was followed by a long silence. Then Matthew quietly asked, "Dad, are you talking to me?"

Good question. Often our communication is so detailed or complicated our listener gets lost in the jargon. It is my conviction that if a teacher or speaker is telling me something I cannot understand, it is his fault. I say that because when there are things I want to know, I listen very attentively, and I'm counting on him to make it so plain that I can understand. The communicator needs to be sensitive to feedback from the listeners. Smiles or nods indicate their understanding. Frowns or puzzled looks indicate they don't understand.

Some people never understand anything because they are not interested or their minds are wandering. That's one of the reasons I insert a humorous one-liner every nine-to-11 minutes when I'm speaking to a group. The laughter of the audience will bring back the listeners who have made temporary departures. I speak at a seventh-grade level because at that level, most people get the message. That doesn't mean that I "talk down" to any audience; it's just that I search for words and word pictures most people understand. Think about it.

Keep your listeners in mind, communicate in simple language, and I'll see you at the top!

Laughing To Keep From Crying

All of us have heard someone say, "Well, I was just laughing to keep from crying," meaning he'd had a bittersweet experience that left him sad and glad. I'm convinced that, with the exception of tragedy, there is humor in many of life's difficulties that will reduce the impact of those difficulties.

I love this story. After a gentleman received his haircut, he told the barber he didn't have any money. The barber responded: "We don't do credit work here. You will have to sign an IOU and put it on the wall with the others who still owe." The customer protested, "But I object to having an IOU with my name on it hanging on the wall for everyone to see." "Don't worry," said the barber. "No one will see your name. Your coat will be hanging over it."

Personally, I like humor that either did happen or could have happened. It's easy for most of us to visualize the above incident taking place. Whether it did or did not has nothing to do with the enjoyment we get from letting our imagination picture the scene.

Being a senior citizen myself, I got a charge out of the way one cafeteria that caters to senior citizens handles its two serving lines. One is for people with wheelchairs and walkers, and the other is for those who have no trouble walking. The lines are marked "Cane" and "Able." For those who might read this and say there's no humor in being in a wheelchair, let me point out that there are countless people in nursing homes who cannot get out of their beds. Those who can have lots to smile about. Think about it.

Look for the bright and humorous side, and I'll see you at the top!

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.

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