I once pulled up to a parking ramp gate. A recorded voice asked me to "please take the ticket." I was fumbling for something in my car and no one was behind me,

I once pulled up to a parking ramp gate. A recorded voice asked me to "please take the ticket." I was fumbling for something in my car and no one was behind me, so I just sat there for a minute. The voice repeated, "please take the ticket." I continued to fumble. The third time the recorded voice came on, the tone had changed to stern and authoritarian. It barked, "take the ticket." I jumped to attention and grabbed for the ticket. It's fascinating how powerful the change in tone and dropping the formalities affected my behavior. There's a case for pleasantries in some situations. There's a case for pithy authoritarian messages in others.