People really don't notice how precise I am. If, for example, I say that it is not possible for us to tell whether a call coming into this office is using our toll-free number, it is because I am completely certain of that fact and I know all about what's going on. It's not cause to go, "I wonder who would know?"
Yesterday morning I said I was 98% certain I'd done something Friday and everyone cracked up. I'm not sure, but it seemed to be for the wrong reason. A 2% margin of error is extremely low. That means I was able to replay that part of Friday in my head with great precision and watch whether I had done what I thought I had. But people were laughing that I hadn't said 99.9%. Well, of course not. That'd be almost worthy of an unadorned statement of fact.
Granted, I am not the most important person in these people's lives, but I'd like them to actually notice that I speak carefully. At least my supervisor got it. She's not that great with personnel problems, but she and I have always gotten along and she notices a lot that's important. (Also, she occasionally gives me a great pile of data and lets me create order, which is very fulfilling.)
Yesterday morning I said I was 98% certain I'd done something Friday and everyone cracked up. I'm not sure, but it seemed to be for the wrong reason. A 2% margin of error is extremely low. That means I was able to replay that part of Friday in my head with great precision and watch whether I had done what I thought I had. But people were laughing that I hadn't said 99.9%. Well, of course not. That'd be almost worthy of an unadorned statement of fact.
Granted, I am not the most important person in these people's lives, but I'd like them to actually notice that I speak carefully. At least my supervisor got it. She's not that great with personnel problems, but she and I have always gotten along and she notices a lot that's important. (Also, she occasionally gives me a great pile of data and lets me create order, which is very fulfilling.)