Today I Believe

The grandfather standard

Before you say it, ask whether your grandfather would have said it. Most modern communication problems disappear inside that one question.

An essay by Dustin Michael Drozd

Generations that lived through hard decades tended to use fewer words and mean more by them. There is something to learn from that.

The grandfather standard is not nostalgia. It is a filter. Would the words you are about to use survive a generation that did not have the option of softening or hiding behind a screen?

Most professional communication improves when measured against it. Most apologies, most decisions, most promises.

It is also a reliable way to make sure the people you grew up respecting would still recognize the person you became.