The Telephone Game

Telephone game1.jpg

Ever played the telephone game?

We played it as kids, and later on, it often formed part of team-building at work.
Yes, both kids and adults can play it - fun, yes, but also tells a story of how facts can get twisted.

For those who aren't familiar with the game, the players sit in a circle. The person who starts the game writes a message on a piece of paper, then reads it in a whisper to the person next to him/her, but doesn't show it to anyone, and keeps it till the end of the game. The second player then whispers what he/she heard into the next player's ear, and so it goes on.
The last person in the circle then tells all the players what the message was.

When the first person reads out the initial message, it is a very different version from what came out in the end!

Of course, it's the cause for much laughter, but also quite incredulous hearing how the meaning of the message changed when shared from one person to the next.

Why is this?

Well, some may not hear properly, or forget snippets of the message, and then pass on their interpretation.

Is that not what happens in real life and how rumours start? It can be funny, but it can also harm the person/s the story is about.

Some people thrive on ~~gossiping~~ playing the telephone game; I'm sure you know a couple of...shall we call a spade a spade...gossips! Often, we may be tempted to join in this game before checking facts, especially if it sounds quite believable.

So my advice to you is to be careful of the telephone game; don't fall into that trap and believe everything you hear, as the eventual tale will likely have many twisted tails added to it!

Wishing all of you a great week - still long weekend here - thanks to Freedom Day, which actually was today. If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, Monday becomes a public holiday in SA!

That isn't a message passed on in the telephone game, it is the absolute truth, as ludicrous as it may sound!