Have you ever just changed your persona in a day? (See Details Inside)

When I worked a stint at an affirmative action agency I had to talk baby talk or risk offending most everyone there. The mgmt had a moment of weakness…hiring me. As in, they were in a pickle and needed someone who knew how to work. Or wasn’t afraid of doing it.

I tend to change my speech patterns to match my environment. At work, I’ll let my grammar lapse a bit and save the ten-dollar words for either people who appreciate that sort of thing, or for making it clear that I’m not a typical blue-collar chicken slinger. Same at deer camp, only I alter the direction that my grammar lapses. When I’m with friends, I sound more or less like I do here.

I’m a yankee of the damned variety living in the southwest US so I use my drawl when I’m around natives and goat ropers and Harvard dialect when speaking with “others”. It’s a GI town so there are folks moving in all the time who are from away. It’s a challenge to keep it real sometimes.

As part of a living Where’s Waldo style game, where teams of students hunted through a mall for a list of people in disguise, I successfully disguised myself as a Harley biker guy. I stayed incognito, hidden out in the open for a good 5 hours before I was caught by one team.

It was fun, until I had to pee. I had to go into the men’s room. Aiee!

Anytime I am in a tux at an affair other than one I was partly responsible for I tend to dial it down a couple notches!

As an Audiologist, most of my patients have some difficulty with their communication, so I have learned to speak slowly and to project my voice, and to listen patiently as they try to explain their symptoms and concerns.

In addition, I have to vary my instructions, explanations and recommendations based on the individual patient—the youngest patient I have tested was 32 weeks gestational age (a baby that was born very prematurely) and the oldest I have tested was 102. I test many people with various physical, cognitive, and medical challenges; as well as many who speak little or no English, and those who use American Sign Language. So although what I do for the hearing test itself is essentially repetitive, the challenge comes from tailoring my services to best serve the unique needs of each patient. Adapting my communication style is something I do several times a day.

In high school I was pretty shy, and after a while, I didn’t want to be anymore. I wanted to change, but I felt too awkward to do so with friends who had known me since I was a child. They would obviously notice. It would get me so much unwanted attention.

Going off to college was my chance. I didn’t know anybody. Not only was it my opportunity to be someone new without attracting strange looks, but I needed to be outgoing if I wanted to make friends at all.

So, with much effort, I stepped out of the comfort zone and introduced myself to people, initiated handshakes, made the effort to invite people I barely knew to meals and whatnot. Small-talked (something I used to hate) with acquaintances who eventually became friends. Learned to ask the right questions about their lives to get to know them. It might not seem like much to an outgoing person, but for me, damn I was proud of myself. I did it so much that it stopped being an act, stopped being scary, and began to be enjoyable. I really, really like the new me.

Yep, when i was just 11, i dyed my hair purple and threw out all my old clothes. It’s just fine to change, don’t think you’re changing your whole self, it’s a matter of opinion, and you are still the same old person. If your friends do not accept the whole idea of the new you,maybee they are not accepting you for who you are (trying to make you who they want you to be) so don’t worry.

In middle or high school (can’t remember which), I got tired of being ‘the smart girl’ and decided I’d rather be popular than smart. I dumbed down, changing my vocabulary and manner of speaking. It was an interesting experiment, but not one I wanted to maintain. I went back to being my usual self pretty quickly.