Parts is Parts of Parts

Posted on March 6, 2007 Written by 6 Comments
Nature Valley Cereal

I have an annoying habit of noticing things that seem to bother me, and no one else. I have an even more annoying habit of sharing those things with people who don’t seem to mind. And I have an intensely annoying compulsion to continue until others see just what was bothering me to begin with.

I could go over a litany of verbal abuses, but Tim Warner over at Mother Tongue Annoyances already has an online encyclopedia of etymological effluvia. So I’ll try to stay orientated to the advertising and pop culture linguistic lashings. And this time around, I’ll be taking a bite out of Nature Valley‘s new 100% Natural Cereal. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Communication Tagged: ,

Invenntiveness

Posted on February 18, 2007 Written by 3 Comments
Is Is not

My own little corner of the Intertubes is supposed to be about explaining things, so why not get right down to explaining how to explain things?

Before we go any further, though, we have to get down to definitions. And trying to define ‘define’ can send you thinking in circles if you aren’t careful:

In comparing the above concepts, I think we can drill down to a couple of key points. ‘Defining’ something:

  1. is a conscious, willful act.
  2. is exact.
  3. captures essence.

Definitions are an important first step in just about any process. The vast majority of arguments (internet or otherwise) get ugly at the definition phase, and need go no further. If you can’t agree on terms, you can’t even agree to disagree. Yet somehow, most of our educational systems are geared more toward definition instead of cognition, or understanding. Maybe it’s just a function of easier testing, but too many people believe that learning begins and ends with the definitions.

So let me re-wire the way you think about definitions, with an analogy.

A definition is a circle… [Read more...]

Filed Under: Communication, Philosophy Tagged: , , ,

Proof, er, Consequences

Posted on February 15, 2007 Written by 6 Comments

My Platonic Talk post drew some attention from some fellow media trainers and communicators. Apparently, I have not been alone in my assertion that “perfect speech” is not the road to perfect communication, but is in fact a hindrance. Backing that up, I have an anecdote from a study that I remembered reading years ago… and now I have other pros who would like the opportunity to cite it.

(Nothing like sticking it to the Toastmasters.)

I still have not found the original study, but apparently there is some other evidence out there backing up the concept: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Communication, Philosophy Tagged: , ,

Lateral thinking

Posted on January 12, 2007 Written by 1 Comment
Hook and Lateral

Words are powerful little packages. We take them for granted, and don’t always consider all of the hidden meanings behind the words we choose. However, we too often look at the written word, and ignore the sounds of the same word as an utterance. Only then do you appreciate the rhymes, the meter, and the possibilities of mistaken pronunciations.

How much of what we call “lateral thinking” — the joining of previously non-adjacent concepts — is really the product of a pun or a bad translation? And how many words or concepts do we take for granted, even though they were steeped in mistake?

For my first example, I take you all the way back to the Fiesta Bowl, where Boise State knocked off the Oklahoma Sooners. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Communication, Personal Tagged: , , , ,
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