Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly

by Evy Poumpouras

I recently received an email from a producer in which each of her first two paragraphs began with the phrase “As I’m sure you are aware…” The producer then went on to explain several things that I had zero prior knowledge about. Oftentimes, when people begin a conversation with statements such as these, it’s an over-the-top effort to place the onus of having shared knowledge onto the recipient. Simply put, if you don’t already know what I’m telling you, then you’re either stupid or weren’t paying attention. If anyone ever starts communicating with you using these phrases, and what they’re telling you is not something you would have known prior, simply respond with “How would I have already known this?” That way, you put the burden of explaining their subtle jab back onto them.