The office building had an easily temperamental HVAC system, the thermostat seemed to have a mind of its own and would switch from hot to cold and back again without any warning or reason.
The employees of the office building, who were used to the unpredictable temperature swings, had grown tired of the constant discomfort and decided to take matters into their own hands.
They formed a committee to address the HVAC issues and came up with a plan to repair the thermostat once and for all. They hired an HVAC worker to come in and take a look at the system. The worker tinkered with the thermostat for a few minutes, adjusted some settings and declared that the problem was fixed. But as soon as the worker left, the thermostat started acting up again. The temperature in the building began to fluctuate wildly, and the employees found themselves dripping with sweat one minute and shivering the next, then frustrated and fed up, the employees called the HVAC worker back and demanded that he repair the thermostat for good. The worker scratched his head, unsure of what to do! Just then, one of the employees had a brilliant idea! She suggested that they try talking to the thermostat like it was a person, hoping to appeal to its fickle nature, and so, the employees began to address the thermostat in soothing tones, saying things like “Hey there, little guy, we know you’re doing your best” and “We enjoy all the difficult work you do, but we actually need you to stay at a consistent temperature.” To their amazement, the thermostat seemed to respond to their kind words, but it stopped fluctuating and settled on a comfortable temperature that stayed consistent throughout the afternoon.