The Art of the Office Answer

There are many types of office answerers. For instance, the question "where do we put the mail?" could be answered several different ways:

the Avoider: "The mail gets picked up at 3 p.m."

The avoider never answers the question you ask, which makes the questioner feel unappreciated. Eventually people start to disrespect the Avoider.

the Unanswerer: [mumbles]

Nobody likes the Unanswerer, obviously. He is going to become invisible fast.

the Paranoid Answerer: "It's around the corner ... but why are you asking?"

It's not always about you, Miss Paranoid.

the Overanswerer: "You go around the corner to the third door on the left. Actually, I'll go with you. What are you mailing? It gets picked up at noon and 3 p.m., but remember you can't mail anything personal; it's office policy."

The Overanswerer can often come across as patronizing and is at risk of becoming the most avoided person in the office. Unless, of course, you are desperate for an answer.

The answerer to strive to be is the answerer that answers the question at hand, with something like: "The mail is around the corner, third door on the left. Do you need any help figuring it out?"

Or, hey, we know you're busy. The first sentence will do.