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Nothing Is Ever 'Off The Record'
When sharing information off the record know that
nothing is off the record. If you tell someone anything understand
that the chances that they will tell someone else is good. There
are few situations where you are actually off the record, and
even in those rare situations, like speaking to a priest or
doctor, I would not trust that confidence. If you tell someone
else it can, and most likely will, be repeated.
During my cooking class with Paula Deen, the Food
Network star, she shared that she had an interview with a reporter
that turned out to be very embarrassing. When the reporter arrived
at her home, Paula was in the middle of fixing breakfast for
Michael, now her husband, at the time her boyfriend. She asked
the reporter to wait just a second because she had a man in
her bed and she wanted to bring him breakfast. Paula had assumed
this information would be off the record, and of course it wasn't
and appeared in the article. I too have had the experience of
talking to a reporter and assuming that at one point we were
talking off the record. It wasn't and everything that I said
but didn't want printed was right there in black and white.
As I was having one of my work dates at my local Panera, I overheard
two men talking. One of the men said to the other, "Okay
tell me off the record what you think." Without any hesitation
his companion said, "I never talk off the record because
there is really no such thing." He is exactly right.
Even if you are not speaking to a reporter know
that what you say is never off the record. It can and most likely
will be repeated. Since my experience, I live by the rule of
never saying anything I do not want printed on the front page
of the newspaper. I often tell my clients to never say anything
they don't want printed in the company newspaper or put on the
company Web site. If you have a need to talk to someone about
a private subject or just something you don't want repeated,
tell it to your dog or cat. Those truly are the only beings
that won't be tempted to repeat it.
People love to gossip and share "in the know"
information. Know that whatever you say to another person runs
the risk of being repeated. I know this is harsh, but in my
experience it is true. It is important to have people you can
talk to on a deep and open level. Select only a chosen few and
share your deepest thoughts, secrets and ideas with those chosen
few. Even then you can never be 100% sure it will be off the
record. The actor Michael Douglas found this out the hard way
when his ex-wife wrote a tell all book about their life together.
I don't want you to be paranoid, just be aware. Keep in mind
that there are no guarantees that what you say will forever
and always be kept off the record.
Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD provides daily motivation,
information and inspiration to thousands of busy self development
enthusiast who want to stay focused and on track to their goals
through her award winning e-zine 365 Days of Coaching. For a
free report, "The Power of Daily Action - How to create
more Wealth, Health and Happiness by Tapping Into the Power
of Daily Action" go to http://www.365daysofcoaching.com/daily_action.htm.
Copyright©
2006 True Direction, Inc.
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