Their words go on the high shelf, yours go on the floor

Where the picture shows up in おっしゃる

1. 1

   copying what's on the shelf

   部長がおっしゃったとおりにしました。

   buchō ga osshatta tōri ni shimashita

   I did it exactly as you said.

   Taking the manager's sentence down off the shelf and tracing it by hand, line for line.

2. 2

   holding out an empty slot

   お名前は何とおっしゃいますか。

   o-namae wa nan to osshaimasu ka

   May I ask your name?

   One slot on the shelf cleared and held toward the other person's mouth, waiting for a name to be placed in it.

   One level above 名前は何ですか — standard on the phone and at a counter.

3. 3

   checking if anything was left up there

   先生は何かおっしゃっていましたか。

   sensei wa nanika osshatte imashita ka

   Did the doctor say anything?

   Looking up to see whether the words that left the doctor's mouth are still sitting on the shelf.

4. 4

   pointing at the shelf to agree

   おっしゃる通りです。

   ossharu tōri desu

   It is exactly as you say.

   An open palm indicating the shelf where their words rest, with a nod.

   おっしゃる通りです is the most common way to agree in a meeting.

5. 5

   asking for it to be set up again

   もう一度おっしゃっていただけますか。

   mō ichido osshatte itadakemasu ka

   Could you say that once more?

   The words on the shelf too faint to read, so both hands go out asking for them to be placed up there again.