I needed to contact Microsoft support 🙄.

Filled in the form. Pressed submit.

A message popped up reviewing the problem and saying…

Expected response within:    8

That was it. Just 8.

Eight what? Seconds? Minutes? Days? Ice ages?

I need to know. 

If it were 8 minutes, I wouldn’t go to the loo.

If it were 8 hours, I wouldn’t go to sleep.

If it were 8 days, I wouldn’t go on holiday.

Without context, it’s hard to make decisions.

Hard to plan. Hard to act.

Our brains need a framework (clearer the better) to understand what’s happening.

Otherwise, you’ll fill the gap with imagination and confusion. 

Sometimes, the power of context makes you smile.

Sometimes, it makes you squirm.

And occasionally, it makes you wonder if anyone checked the context before they pressed go.

KFC in China translated ‘It’s finger-lickin’ good’ into ‘Eat your fingers.’

Audi’s e-tron sounds sleek in German. In French, étron means ‘turd.’

And then there’s the infamous Susan Boyle album launch.

The hashtag was meant to be #SusanAlbumParty, but it was published without the caps.

#susanalbumparty did go viral - for all the wrong reasons.

The Power of Context

One missing word, one translation slip, one cultural blind spot or a change of tone and everything changes.

Before you hit send, ask:

‘Have I given enough context?’

Before you open your mouth, ask:

‘What do I want them to hear?’

Before you promote the hashtag, ask:

How many ways can this be read?

Do you have an example of where context wasn’t considered? I’d love to know. Please leave your comment here. 

Be Brilliant!