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Tuesday 25 March 2014

What’s that smell, Boss?

If I have to tell a person he she smells, how do I do it?

Have a look at this video!


If a person has a problem with personal hygiene and is therefore a bit smelly, I should be the one who has to tell him/her.

But how?

Read on. Here is what I did :-

Firstly, I sat in a room so that I can have a private, one to one conversation. I Don't tell him what the meeting is about. I Just tell him I need to see him about something which is not too important, but it is urgent.

Then when I get to the room I sit at the corner of the table and ask him to sit at the adjacent corner so that I am at 45 degrees to each other. I don't want to be sat across the table, because that sets up a confrontational situation.

When he arrived I start by thanking him for coming and when he is settled I say something very close to the following.

"Thank you for coming. I want to tell I something, but before I do, I need to warn you that what I have to say, is of a rather personal nature, and I need you to know that. Okay?"

"As you sit here, and whenever I get this close to you, I can SENSE (I don't say smell) a certain distinct odour, ( I dont say SMELL)".
"It is not a perfume. It is some other kind of odour."
Then, I pause for about two second's to let that sink in.
Then I continue in the following way:
"Would you please do whatever you need to do, to remedy the situation?"

He said,  "I know that I have this problem and who are you to tell me what to do. you are not my mother".

I say, "I know it is ordinarily none of my business. But the fact is that, whenever I get this close to you I can SENSE, (I don't say smell), a certain distinct odour, (not SMELL), and therefore believe that others must notice it too. Therefore, it has become legitimate for me to make mention of it to I.

At the conclusion of the interview, I gave him a few minutes to compose himself.


This post is composed for Indibloggger's "Close Encounters of the Smelly Kind" contest.

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