A Few Good Words

A group of young Marines sat in a morning class half-awake when a senior instructor walked out on stage. He stopped to hang a small placard in front of his podium entitled, “How to Instruct”.

Next he removed a pack of Marlboro cigarettes from a shirt pocket. He carefully placed it on top of the stand.

Gazing out over the now-alert audience, he then asked for a volunteer, and of course, one stood up.

The man asked him to come and show him how to open the pack of smokes.

The youngster, when standing next to the instructor, thought hard before speaking.

“Do you see the red and white three-inch-high by two-inch-wide package sitting on the four-foot-high podium?”

“The brown wooden podium.” He added.

“Yes I do,” The sergeant replied.

“Pick it up,” The kid said.

The instructor reached over, grabbed the pack and squeezed it hard. He then lifted the crushed object high up in the air.

“O-open the pack,” The kid stammered.

The older man used both hands to twist and rip the package in half. When he finished, he held the two parts aloft again, and he looked out over his audience.

“When you teach, always give clear instructions.”