I love good TV commercials as much as I love good movies and good TV series. But what is amazing about good TV commercials is the way they pack a punch even in the little time that we engage with them! Some witty commercials become part of our folklore and some go even further and give us a nice metaphor to name our mental models.
It was well past midnight in the IIT hostel and I was tossing and turning in my bed. Someone in the wing had invited his friend who was playing guitar. Although midnights in hostels are like midday, soon after they start getting quieter. So, the sound of the guitar was quite piercing in the quietness.
I was praying that it should stop soon, but it did not. As the ‘concert’ went on, I was getting furious at how someone could be so insensitive. Finally, I decided to blast them for the torture we were subjected to, by them. I got up but I thought of giving them a fair chance to end it smoothly.
It was quite hard to control the anger, but anyway, I kept calm, went to them, and told them that the sound is quite loud and so I am not able to sleep. When I was getting ready for further altercations, to my surprise, they looked apologetic. They said that they did not anticipate it and they would stop playing right away. I am sure that their reaction might have not been equally gracious had I started shouting at them.
That was probably my first lesson on how staying calm and being assertive in such situations can bring a graceful outcome. It also reminded me of the Pan Pasand TV commercial, the depth of which I could appreciate only then – भाड़ा नहीं देना है तो क्यों ना ये मकान ख़ाली कर दो।
Each Ad of Pan Pasand starts with an angry person complaining furiously in a situation, but after eating a Pan Pasand candy he or she regains composure and stays with the argument but delivers with a smile.
Most often, either we choose to argue violently or give up totally to avoid confrontation. What should work most often is to not change the stance but communicate assertively than rubbing the person up the wrong way.
Although hard, once we know that it’s magic, we will like to attempt it. I have seen that messenger Apps are boon to use this model. We can take time to regain our composure as no one is around to watch your facial expressions.
Subscribe to my newsletter, to get stories like this and more, directly in your inbox!
