Here are three clear disadvantages to not having a laser speech in response to being asked what you do.
We usually say something like our title.
But there are better things to say.
Back when I was a fulltime Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, people would ask me what I did, and I would say, "Well, I'm a Marriage and Family Therapist.
" And I would get one of three responses.
First response would be people would look at me and say, "Well, that's nice.
" And turn around and walk away, you know.
I don't know if you all have had that experience.
It was like I was dangerous or something.
Or they were going to catch something from me, I don't know.
Response number two would be the smart aleck response.
Someone would say, "Oh, are you analyzing me right now?" And I would restrain myself from saying, "Well, not until right now pal.
" And the worst one, we have all had this experience; someone begins to tell us about all their issues and all their problems in line at the grocery store, right? You're at a party or some other kind of thing...
I went out to a wedding in California in '91 and made the mistake of answering a man's question at the rehearsal dinner on Friday night.
And he began to tell me all about his marriage.
And proceeded to tell me that every chance he got all the way through the post wedding stuff on Sunday.
I wanted so bad to have said I was a plumber.