Excuse me❓

Here's the last week in March which is a year after the pandemic lockdown. 

I could remember how the whole thing started in Nigeria through an Italian man in February and the cases gradually increased till we were all shut in nationwide. School, businesses, worship places, relaxation centres, everywhere you can think of.

This years March ending, we all can move freely, trusting God to restore our losses and take away this plague completely from our land.

Have you taken the vaccine already? I've not either, a bit scared though. lol

Oya come here o. So, there was a post I put up on my WhatsApp status about two weeks ago sha about making sure an information is understood before reacting to it.

As a mass communication student, I know the importance of a receiver getting a message the same way it was intended by the sender of such message. If a message is not accurately decoded, it's a barrier that could pose a great challenge to those involved in that communication chain.

I narrated my experience to my WhatsApp contacts that time and I'm going to have to repeat it.

I was at a place with two of my friends, then we had other two people with us whom I didn't really know. We've all been having a good time gisting and munching snacks available when someone suggested we play Truth or Dare game.

At first, I was reluctant because I knew it was always about opposite sex asking irrelevant questions and engaging in dirty stuff. Don't mind me o, that was about three years ago. I know better now jere.

I decided to give it a trial since others welcomed it. Fast forward to my turn when one of those guys asked me what my body count was. I didn't even think twice about the question. I quickly shouted 57 thinking I was asked my body mass.

These guys (I mean my friend's friends) were surprised. They were like ''you tried o.'' I started feeling awkward at their look and response.

That was when my friend whispered to my ear what body count means and I was embarrassed. The embarrassment I would have felt if I had earlier asked what it meant would not have been up to what I felt spitting nonsense.

That day, I kept repeating ''body count'' till I went to bed at night. It meant the number of people you've had sex with. I'm never going to make that mistake again.

There have been other experiences where someone would say a word and I would assume I understood it whereas it's somewhat entirely different.

Conversational rule 101: Never assume you understand a word used by the other party. Ask questions for you to clearly decipher make e no spoil o.

Like now, when they ask if you've had breakfast, it may not necessarily mean morning food, it could be about your breakup. You'll hear ''everybody lo ma je breakfast.''

I could remember in one of my English classes, I learnt about Connotation and Denotation. So, when someone says a usual word, try to understand the manner at which he or she is speaking from.

If someone tells you ''Can there be an us?'' It may not necessarily mean an intimate relationship, it could mean sex partners or just anything. Imagine you now said Yes to such a question thinking the person is the love of your life whereas he isn't seeing the relationship between you two as that. What now happens if you bumped into him with another babe, you'll start thinking he's cheating on you when he's only intending a casual relationship.

Most of the clash that occur during interpersonal relationship is as a result of ambiguity in message sent and message received. 

From now henceforth, it would do you more good if you would learn to ask questions on aspects or words you don't really understand than to assume you knew it all and cause wahala.

I know you have cases of misunderstanding what someone said to you. Would you like to share? I'm waiting to read them all in the comments section.

Happy new month in advance. April celebrants, where are you?

Virtual hugs FAM🤗🤗🤗