Tricks of the Trade: Getting a response from your fellow campers
It is often frustrating trying to get a response from your fellow campers. When asking questions such as, “Does anybody want to take a break? Do you want to set up camp? Do you want to stop for lunch?” It is common to get no verbal response and the non-verball response might range from a shrug of the shoulders as if to say, “I don’t really care,” to a look of exhaustion. Learn to anticipate the group’s needs and to read the non-verbal signs as well as the words you hear. In these types of cases I suggest two things.
1. Try asking the question in reverse form. Instead of asking, “Does anybody want to take a break?” ask, “Is there anybody who doesn’t want to take a break?” Is is important in terms of safety to take a break if one person needs to take a break. If the question if phrased in this way it requires a unanimous vote not to take a break.
2. My rule of thumb is, “If you have to ask the question then you already know the answer.” In other words, if you ask the question, “Does anybody want to take a break,” then you are probably thinking that someone might need to take abreak. In that case don’t bother to ask the question. Just do it. If you are asking, “Should we start looking for a campsite,” you are thinking, it is late in the afternoon, the group has had a hard day, or a combination of such thoughts so again, just do it.
To See Tip #8 click here
To See Tip #6 click here
Adapted from The Camper’s Guide to Outdoor Pursuits by Jack Drury and Eric Holmlund published in 2006 by Sagamore Publishing
It is often frustrating trying to get a response from your fellow campers. When asking questions such as, “Does anybody want to take a break? Do you want to set up camp? Do you want to stop for lunch?” It is common to get no verbal response and the non-verball response might range from a shrug of the shoulders as if to say, “I don’t really care,” to a look of exhaustion. Learn to anticipate the group’s needs and to read the non-verbal signs as well as the words you hear. In these types of cases I suggest two things.
1. Try asking the question in reverse form. Instead of asking, “Does anybody want to take a break?” ask, “Is there anybody who doesn’t want to take a break?” Is is important in terms of safety to take a break if one person needs to take a break. If the question if phrased in this way it requires a unanimous vote not to take a break.
2. My rule of thumb is, “If you have to ask the question then you already know the answer.” In other words, if you ask the question, “Does anybody want to take a break,” then you are probably thinking that someone might need to take abreak. In that case don’t bother to ask the question. Just do it. If you are asking, “Should we start looking for a campsite,” you are thinking, it is late in the afternoon, the group has had a hard day, or a combination of such thoughts so again, just do it.
To See Tip #8 click here
To See Tip #6 click here
Adapted from The Camper’s Guide to Outdoor Pursuits by Jack Drury and Eric Holmlund published in 2006 by Sagamore Publishing
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