We love nothing more than covering a Post-it note with ideas or filling a notebook with today's to-do list.
But when you have to make a list of ways to sound like a compassionate real-life human being, you know you have issues.
Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what Donald Trump did for a listening session with the victims and parents of gun violence in schools on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting came days after the death of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida following a shooting.
Sitting in the State Dining Room of the White House, the President of the US - a role that is often (and now ironically) referred to as the 'consoler-in-chief' - opened up the floor to a discussion on ways to prevent school shootings.
However, instead of providing his guests with genuine and sympathetic words from the heart, Trump needed a reminder to tell shooting survivors 'I hear you', and ask them questions on what they want him to know following the tragedy.
During the meeting, Trump's teeny tiny hands accidentally flashed a page of his notes with the numbered bullet points reading:
1. What would you most want me to know about your experience?
2. What can we do [to] help you feel [safe]?
5. I hear you.
Of course, it's not uncommon for politicians to have notes on an array of subjects, especially when they're sensitive and polemic issues.
However, you'd at least hope the Leader of the Free World would remember to show compassion, without the need of cue cards.
Sadly, this isn't the first time the president has struggled with showing he has a soul.
After the shooting in Florida, the politician sent out a tweet that appeared to blame the students for failing to report warning signs about the gunman (though it was later reported that people had).
He's also berated London mayor Sadiq Khan in the wake of a terror attack last summer.
Fortunately, it was 18-year-old Sam Zeif - a student who was inside Stoneman Douglas High School during the Parkland shooting - whose words reverberated louder that Trump's in the meeting.
'In Australia there was a shooting at a school in 1999,' Zeif said. 'You know, after that, they took a lot of ideas, they put legislation together, and they stopped it. Can anyone here guess how many shootings there have been since then in Australia? Zero. We need to do something, and that's why we're here.'
However, that didn't stop Trump suggesting the way to stop shooting tragedies is to arm teachers with guns.
'An attack has lasted, on average, about three minutes. It takes five to eight minutes for responders, for police to come in. If you had a teacher who is adept at firearms, they could very well end the attack very quickly,' Trump said at the event.
'The good thing about that …. you will have a lot of people that would be armed, that would be ready.'
Yes, Trump, let's try to stop violence by arming more people with more guns.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
