08/11/2026
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฒ
I had the most interesting experience trying to return something today.
Nothing big. Nothing complicated. Just a simple return.
The woman helping me, I noticed we shared the same name.
I said, โOh, are you another good Karen?โ
She said, โWell, I am.โ
I laughed and said, โOkay, then we both are.โ
Great start, right?
Then I mentioned I had a return.
She asked if she could take the long line of people behind me first because I had a RETURN. I had just waited in that line behind 5 people, so I told her she could take the first person, but I had a meeting to get to as well.
Then, over the intercom:
โI need a manager. SOMEBODY has a RETURN.โ
But it wasn't just the words.
It was the tone.
When the manager arrived, she said, โShe's got a return,โ accompanied by an eye roll.
Then she turned to the people waiting and said sarcastically, โSorry, SHE has a RETURN.โ
WOW.
Suddenly, I felt like a kid who had just been scolded for doing something wrong.
And that's the thing about communication.
People don't just hear your words.
They experience your words.
Your tone communicates.
Your facial expressions communicate.
Your body language communicates.
Your energy communicates.
And yes, your words communicate.
A simple return became a reminder of something I teach all the time:
You may forget the exact words someone used, but you rarely forget how their communication made you feel.
That's RQ Intelligenceโข.
Understanding that every interaction can strengthen a relationship or weaken it.
Choose your words carefully.
Because your words can change someone's moment.
And sometimes, your words can change their world.
