Summary: Today's post discusses the law of attraction, used in The Secret and other New Age products, and the one simple question you can ask yourself in every situation in order to communicate your needs—to yourself and those around you—best.
Surely you've heard the secret—The Secret, that is, by Rhonda Byrne. If you're someone who's managed to avoid hearing about this widely popularized book, CD set, movie or general technique, let me be the first to break it down for you: The secret to The Secret is the law of attraction, or the idea that like attracts like.
Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation states in part that "two bodies attract each other with equal and opposite force." Although there's much more to his law than this, the principle has been borrowed by New Age coaches and modern thinkers of every type to promote the law of attraction. Byrne's 'secret' is out!
So, what does this mean for you, as someone who's presently looking to improve the way you speak, write or think under pressure? Here's the second secret: *Pssst!* The more you honor your deepest desires, the more likely you are to elicit them from the world around you.
Ask yourself, "Why do I want to improve the way I communicate?" Is it for a raise or a promotion; to impress your boss or co-workers; to win that sales incentive of the new car or vacation package? If it's anywhere along these lines, your deepest desires—in this case, anyway—are financially driven. Do you want to impress a certain someone you just met or to change the way you automatically react to your significant other? If so, you're most motivated by romance right now. These are just a couple of examples that can vary from situation to situation or even moment to moment.
Asking, "What do I want most right now?" each time you feel tongue-tied or confused will help you more clearly state—first to yourself and then to the world around you—what exactly you need or want. And that will help you determine how to go about getting it gracefully.
To further improve the way you speak, write or think under pressure, contact Communications Coach Kealah Parkinson at Kealah@KiKiProductionsInc.com and type "Speak with Kealah" in the subject line.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 28, 2009
WORD OF THE WEEK: Of Perianths & Prefixes
Summary: This week's featured vocabulary word is perianth, made up in part by the prefix peri-. The definitions and an illustration, courtesy of Merriam-Webster.com, are displayed in this post.
This week's word features a common American English prefix (so, if you've been studying your prefix and suffix lists like a good vocabulary student, you're already familiar with it): Peri-. In and of itself, peri- means "around, near or enclosing." And the word perianth refers to the sepal, or leaf, near or sometimes fused with and enclosing the petal of a flower—such as in the illustration below. (This illustration comes from Merriam-Webster.com, with thanks.)
cross section of flower 1b:1 filament, 2 anther, 3 stigma, 4 style, 5 petal, 6 ovary, 7 sepal, 8 pedicel, 9 stamen, 10 pistil, 11 perianth
The remainder of the word comes from the Greek word anthos which literally means "flower," and entered the English language shortly after 1800. For a sound bite of the pronunciation of perianth (PER-ee-ANTH), click here.
What other words do you know that feature the prefix peri-? (Hint: click the word's link in the photo illustration for more!)
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
This week's word features a common American English prefix (so, if you've been studying your prefix and suffix lists like a good vocabulary student, you're already familiar with it): Peri-. In and of itself, peri- means "around, near or enclosing." And the word perianth refers to the sepal, or leaf, near or sometimes fused with and enclosing the petal of a flower—such as in the illustration below. (This illustration comes from Merriam-Webster.com, with thanks.)
cross section of flower 1b:
The remainder of the word comes from the Greek word anthos which literally means "flower," and entered the English language shortly after 1800. For a sound bite of the pronunciation of perianth (PER-ee-ANTH), click here.
What other words do you know that feature the prefix peri-? (Hint: click the word's link in the photo illustration for more!)
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 25, 2009
WEEKLY UPDATE: Summarizing the Latest News
Summary: This post announces a new change to the Beyond Talk blog in the form of a summary paragraph like this one at the start of each post. I share my own ever-evolving experience with matching my message to my market audience, as the Communications Coach who truly practices what she preaches.
Some of my earliest blog entries read more like newspaper articles than blog posts. In fact, that's exactly what I intended for them. You see, my education and my beginning career work were both in journalism; it's been a dream of mine since the age of 12 to run my own (socially impacting, likely women-centered) magazine. But after about a month, I realized that almost no one—not even my own friends and family—was visiting the blog.
Perfect! Learning to tweak my own communication style was a step in the right direction: Not only would I (hopefully) meet my goal of drawing more traffic to the blog and helping more people around the globe improve the way they interact, I would learn first-hand even more about assessing one's message and adjusting it to the right audience.
What's the best way to match your message to your market? Ask questions (like, "What's the best way to match your message to your market?"). That's what I did with wonderful results. The experience was very rewarding.
I asked the right people—other successful bloggers—who could mentor me in what I was doing wrong, as well as in what was working for me. Among other things, they told me that, although I was well-written and easy to understand, the journalism-based style of my writings was not befitting to a blurb-sized blog. Their feedback continues to enlighten and improve Beyond Talk.
The next latest and greatest improvement begins today, and will be a helpful aspect of future entries: Each blog post will now contain a summary paragraph at the beginning, so that readers like yourself can skim the article and decide if further reading will be helpful or a bit of a time-waster today. (And the summary will also help you bookmark the article for future reference when you may want or even need to invest the time required to read at length and really apply the points presented.) Finally, this new addition will also help you to share any pertinent posts to people you know who may value the information included.
Your time and your attention are valuable—not just to you, but also to me. If you have further feedback on ways Beyond Talk can address your needs, SPEAK UP! I'm here to help.
Truly,
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Some of my earliest blog entries read more like newspaper articles than blog posts. In fact, that's exactly what I intended for them. You see, my education and my beginning career work were both in journalism; it's been a dream of mine since the age of 12 to run my own (socially impacting, likely women-centered) magazine. But after about a month, I realized that almost no one—not even my own friends and family—was visiting the blog.
Perfect! Learning to tweak my own communication style was a step in the right direction: Not only would I (hopefully) meet my goal of drawing more traffic to the blog and helping more people around the globe improve the way they interact, I would learn first-hand even more about assessing one's message and adjusting it to the right audience.
What's the best way to match your message to your market? Ask questions (like, "What's the best way to match your message to your market?"). That's what I did with wonderful results. The experience was very rewarding.
I asked the right people—other successful bloggers—who could mentor me in what I was doing wrong, as well as in what was working for me. Among other things, they told me that, although I was well-written and easy to understand, the journalism-based style of my writings was not befitting to a blurb-sized blog. Their feedback continues to enlighten and improve Beyond Talk.
The next latest and greatest improvement begins today, and will be a helpful aspect of future entries: Each blog post will now contain a summary paragraph at the beginning, so that readers like yourself can skim the article and decide if further reading will be helpful or a bit of a time-waster today. (And the summary will also help you bookmark the article for future reference when you may want or even need to invest the time required to read at length and really apply the points presented.) Finally, this new addition will also help you to share any pertinent posts to people you know who may value the information included.
Your time and your attention are valuable—not just to you, but also to me. If you have further feedback on ways Beyond Talk can address your needs, SPEAK UP! I'm here to help.
Truly,
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 23, 2009
TRULY SPEAKING: Mind Games
Did you know that learning can be fun? The earliest learners use rewards systems, social interaction, and colorful pictures and songs to attain knowledge (think of flash cards, memory games, and nursery rhymes).
But making a game out of studying isn't just for kids: Even top Fortune 500 companies employ team-building exercises (like scavenger hunts) that use the same principles of learning-as-pleasure to teach new skills to the middle-aged. As the brain ages, its ability to learn in rote detail, such as via memorization, wanes. And it's then that experiential learning works best.
It's also important to note that, at every age and stage of life, the brain learns best when it's happiest. So, enjoying your education is imperative to getting the most out of it—in every way!
Here are some of my favorite word game websites, all great for building your vocabulary:
- Magic Word Square is a blog that's totally dedicated to word-based sudoku puzzles. Each puzzle utilizes one word or phrase that must be filled in to each bloc with no repetitions, just like regular number sudoku. Best of all, the blog author Dave often provides several puzzles a day, with a bonus: A famous quote appears in part, with blank spaces to be filled in using letters that come from the numbered squares in the sudoku puzzles.
- Merriam-Webster.com has a wide selection of interactive word games, from Scrabble to standard crossword, word jumble and word sudoku puzzles to the Tetris-like Syn City. (Get it? Add all the synonyms to the skyscraper buildings before time runs out!)
- The New York Times Crossword Puzzle—that famous acme of crosswords—is available online in various forms: print it, play online against a timer, or become a Premium Crossword Member to play with help from friends.
- My favorite word game site of all is Free Rice. A non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program (with sponsorship by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University), Free Rice has two goals: (1) to provide free education, and (2) to provide food to the hungry. Specifically, you answer questions (such as vocabulary questions a la SAT and GRE exams) that 'earn' 10 grains of donated rice for every correct answer.
Watch out! All these sites can be such fun learning, they can be addictive.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
But making a game out of studying isn't just for kids: Even top Fortune 500 companies employ team-building exercises (like scavenger hunts) that use the same principles of learning-as-pleasure to teach new skills to the middle-aged. As the brain ages, its ability to learn in rote detail, such as via memorization, wanes. And it's then that experiential learning works best.
It's also important to note that, at every age and stage of life, the brain learns best when it's happiest. So, enjoying your education is imperative to getting the most out of it—in every way!
Here are some of my favorite word game websites, all great for building your vocabulary:
- Magic Word Square is a blog that's totally dedicated to word-based sudoku puzzles. Each puzzle utilizes one word or phrase that must be filled in to each bloc with no repetitions, just like regular number sudoku. Best of all, the blog author Dave often provides several puzzles a day, with a bonus: A famous quote appears in part, with blank spaces to be filled in using letters that come from the numbered squares in the sudoku puzzles.
- Merriam-Webster.com has a wide selection of interactive word games, from Scrabble to standard crossword, word jumble and word sudoku puzzles to the Tetris-like Syn City. (Get it? Add all the synonyms to the skyscraper buildings before time runs out!)
- The New York Times Crossword Puzzle—that famous acme of crosswords—is available online in various forms: print it, play online against a timer, or become a Premium Crossword Member to play with help from friends.
- My favorite word game site of all is Free Rice. A non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program (with sponsorship by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University), Free Rice has two goals: (1) to provide free education, and (2) to provide food to the hungry. Specifically, you answer questions (such as vocabulary questions a la SAT and GRE exams) that 'earn' 10 grains of donated rice for every correct answer.
Watch out! All these sites can be such fun learning, they can be addictive.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 21, 2009
WORD OF THE WEEK: Sooo Out of Fashion!
Today's Word of the Week is dedicated to my cousin Nicole Parkinson, who's just begun her senior year of college and already dreading the vocabulary portion of the GRE, or graduate school exam. It comes directly from a list of commonly used words in the exam. I selected it because even I am not entirely familiar with this word—at least not enough to have ever used it in a sentence.
Antediluvian (AN-ti-di-LOO-vee-an) is an adjective that literally means "before the flood." It's used to describe something old, out-dated, archaic, antique (as in, "That antediluvian car you're driving could probably qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program!"). Ante is a prefix meaning before, while diluvium (also the root word for deluge) means flood. Both root parts of this word come from the original Latin, and were adopted into the English language as early as the 1640s, according to language records. Put together, the word references that unrecorded era in human development before the Ice Age, or before the Great Flood of the Bible.
Studying prefixes is a great way to learn more, naturally, about language and to automatically enhance your vocabulary. (*Ahem* Pay attention, Nicole!) Experts recommend learning several prefixes and suffixes, rather than attempting to blythely memorize word lists and meanings prior to major tests like the GRE; then, in the event that a word that wasn't on your predetermined list shows up on the test, you're more likely to be able to intuit its meaning.
Even younger children who are struggling to learn vocab words at school can learn 2 new words per week by studying one suffix and one prefix that week, then putting them together with a word they already know. Understanding word parts can help even pupils with learning disabilities—of all ages—grow their word power.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Antediluvian (AN-ti-di-LOO-vee-an) is an adjective that literally means "before the flood." It's used to describe something old, out-dated, archaic, antique (as in, "That antediluvian car you're driving could probably qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program!"). Ante is a prefix meaning before, while diluvium (also the root word for deluge) means flood. Both root parts of this word come from the original Latin, and were adopted into the English language as early as the 1640s, according to language records. Put together, the word references that unrecorded era in human development before the Ice Age, or before the Great Flood of the Bible.
Studying prefixes is a great way to learn more, naturally, about language and to automatically enhance your vocabulary. (*Ahem* Pay attention, Nicole!) Experts recommend learning several prefixes and suffixes, rather than attempting to blythely memorize word lists and meanings prior to major tests like the GRE; then, in the event that a word that wasn't on your predetermined list shows up on the test, you're more likely to be able to intuit its meaning.
Even younger children who are struggling to learn vocab words at school can learn 2 new words per week by studying one suffix and one prefix that week, then putting them together with a word they already know. Understanding word parts can help even pupils with learning disabilities—of all ages—grow their word power.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 16, 2009
TRULY SPEAKING: Staying Connected in Partnership
This summer my husband and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the 50-plus years my great-grandparents shared. But it’s 6 years that we've definitely earned.
Not long before our 1st anniversary, we set to work, hammering out our own little trick to staying connected—something specific to our personal communication style that went beyond the usual platitudes like "don't go to bed angry" and "don't sweat the small stuff." So many of the self-help and couples books I was reading at the time had wonderful communication exercises that simply ended up being too time-consuming or otherwise too complex for us. After testing (and rejecting) so many of them, we eventually customized an exercise of our own.
What we created was a nightly ritual, consisting of a mere 3 questions. We call them “The 3 Rs of Marriage”©:
(1) What’s one thing you recognize that made you feel loved today?
(2) What’s one thing you did to return love to me today?
(3) What would you like to request that I do to show love to you tomorrow?
Each question concentrates on listening to the other person’s feelings and seeing the world through his or her eyes. Love is the central theme, so the conversation is always a feel-good way to end the day. What you learn about your partner—and yourself—via this process can astound you.
You don't have to be married to try the exercise, and you don't have to do it every single night. But the more you practice it, the more it works. So, practice these questions with your partner this week and see how it feels for yourself!
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Not long before our 1st anniversary, we set to work, hammering out our own little trick to staying connected—something specific to our personal communication style that went beyond the usual platitudes like "don't go to bed angry" and "don't sweat the small stuff." So many of the self-help and couples books I was reading at the time had wonderful communication exercises that simply ended up being too time-consuming or otherwise too complex for us. After testing (and rejecting) so many of them, we eventually customized an exercise of our own.
What we created was a nightly ritual, consisting of a mere 3 questions. We call them “The 3 Rs of Marriage”©:
(1) What’s one thing you recognize that made you feel loved today?
(2) What’s one thing you did to return love to me today?
(3) What would you like to request that I do to show love to you tomorrow?
Each question concentrates on listening to the other person’s feelings and seeing the world through his or her eyes. Love is the central theme, so the conversation is always a feel-good way to end the day. What you learn about your partner—and yourself—via this process can astound you.
You don't have to be married to try the exercise, and you don't have to do it every single night. But the more you practice it, the more it works. So, practice these questions with your partner this week and see how it feels for yourself!
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 14, 2009
WORD OF THE WEEK: Parity
A word with an almost unparalleled amount of definitions is parity—a word I heard quite a number of times at the DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) Conference I attended over the weekend.
Parity (PEHR-i-TY) is a noun that means equality, or equivalent, and has its root in the Latin word par, or equal. A number of professional fields and industries use the word parity as a short-hand meaning for a specific type of equivalence. For example, in commodities exchange, parity refers to the legally established purchasing power between different kinds of money (i.e., U.S. Dollar vs. European Union Euro) at a given ratio. Whereas in quantum mechanics, parity is the property of oddness or evenness of any given quantum mechanical function; its balance, or equality, within the function. Parity is used with specific meaning in the fields of: physics, agriculture, mathematics, computer science, international sales, and geneology. (A two-fold, secondary definition of the word parity is "the state or fact of having borne offspring; the number of children one or a couple has borne.")
More recently, this week's word has made its way to the field of insurance—specifically health insurance with regard to mental health. The idea that a long-standing physical injury can be covered for repeated medical repair is often pointed to analogously by patients whose insurance limits the amount of visits or time they can spend in therapy or counseling for mental health issues. Eleven states now offer mental health parity in insurance coverage, opting to provide the same standards to those diagnosed with mental illness as they would to insurees who need physical therapy.
In my opinion, this is positive progress. Those who suffer from depression and other mental illness are in serious need of balance in every area of their lives. In what areas of your own life do you need to find some balance, or parity?
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Parity (PEHR-i-TY) is a noun that means equality, or equivalent, and has its root in the Latin word par, or equal. A number of professional fields and industries use the word parity as a short-hand meaning for a specific type of equivalence. For example, in commodities exchange, parity refers to the legally established purchasing power between different kinds of money (i.e., U.S. Dollar vs. European Union Euro) at a given ratio. Whereas in quantum mechanics, parity is the property of oddness or evenness of any given quantum mechanical function; its balance, or equality, within the function. Parity is used with specific meaning in the fields of: physics, agriculture, mathematics, computer science, international sales, and geneology. (A two-fold, secondary definition of the word parity is "the state or fact of having borne offspring; the number of children one or a couple has borne.")
More recently, this week's word has made its way to the field of insurance—specifically health insurance with regard to mental health. The idea that a long-standing physical injury can be covered for repeated medical repair is often pointed to analogously by patients whose insurance limits the amount of visits or time they can spend in therapy or counseling for mental health issues. Eleven states now offer mental health parity in insurance coverage, opting to provide the same standards to those diagnosed with mental illness as they would to insurees who need physical therapy.
In my opinion, this is positive progress. Those who suffer from depression and other mental illness are in serious need of balance in every area of their lives. In what areas of your own life do you need to find some balance, or parity?
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
WEEKLY UPDATE: A Different Kind of Body Language
Last weekend, I attended a conference that addressed several areas of interest and importance to me. One additional area of focus was a pleasant surprise:
I was intrigued to watch sign language interpreters throughout every conference presentation, including the smaller breakout sessions. Particularly fascinating were the highly animated interpretations of a stand-up comedy performance (with more than half a dozen comedians) and a moving one-woman show by writer, actor, and mental health advocate Victoria Maxwell.
The comics made sure to include one-liners about "working with a partner" onstage, and even held a dialogue of sorts with the interpreters, whose hands flew in a flurry of interpretation of each joke. (One comedian, having just delivered a punch line with the word wedgie, turned to the signer and asked, "So, what's wedgie in sign language?" Improvising right along with him, she interpreted the joke by quickly spelling out w-e-d-g-i-e as she translated, then—delivering a wonderful visual punchline of her own—signed the word in answer to the question by pantomiming a yanking up of underwear and a comedic pained expression to the laughter and applause of the audience.) During Maxwell's show, the interpreters worked just as hard at providing emotion through facial expressions and accompanying body language—gesticulating wildly and quickly to indicate the times when she was portraying herself in a manic state; slowing to a calmer speed and 'tone of voice' to indicate some emotional normalcy; even slumping shoulders, staring blankly, and signing very slowly during the actor's portrayal of depression.
Sign language has its own set of rules that changes and evolves with time, just like any other language. I noticed new signs this weekend for terms like man, woman, and boy that were different from those used when I was a girl, signing haltingly with my deaf cousin. Click the link for a list of Google books on American Sign Language linguistics to learn more about the other English language today.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
I was intrigued to watch sign language interpreters throughout every conference presentation, including the smaller breakout sessions. Particularly fascinating were the highly animated interpretations of a stand-up comedy performance (with more than half a dozen comedians) and a moving one-woman show by writer, actor, and mental health advocate Victoria Maxwell.
The comics made sure to include one-liners about "working with a partner" onstage, and even held a dialogue of sorts with the interpreters, whose hands flew in a flurry of interpretation of each joke. (One comedian, having just delivered a punch line with the word wedgie, turned to the signer and asked, "So, what's wedgie in sign language?" Improvising right along with him, she interpreted the joke by quickly spelling out w-e-d-g-i-e as she translated, then—delivering a wonderful visual punchline of her own—signed the word in answer to the question by pantomiming a yanking up of underwear and a comedic pained expression to the laughter and applause of the audience.) During Maxwell's show, the interpreters worked just as hard at providing emotion through facial expressions and accompanying body language—gesticulating wildly and quickly to indicate the times when she was portraying herself in a manic state; slowing to a calmer speed and 'tone of voice' to indicate some emotional normalcy; even slumping shoulders, staring blankly, and signing very slowly during the actor's portrayal of depression.
Sign language has its own set of rules that changes and evolves with time, just like any other language. I noticed new signs this weekend for terms like man, woman, and boy that were different from those used when I was a girl, signing haltingly with my deaf cousin. Click the link for a list of Google books on American Sign Language linguistics to learn more about the other English language today.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 9, 2009
WEEKLY UPDATE: Post-poned
Today, I'm immersed in a conference on connecting and supporting a marginalized subset of our society: people who suffer from depression. This conference, created by DBSA (the Depression Bipolar Support Alliance), is accepting onsite registration through tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 12). If you're able to attend and educate yourself, you are certainly welcome!
We'll return to regular blog posting next week. Meanwhile, as I'm busy learning about how to teach those with depression to reclaim joy and balance in their lives, my wish for you today is that you will go about your Friday with a joyful dedication to yourself.
Peace,
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
We'll return to regular blog posting next week. Meanwhile, as I'm busy learning about how to teach those with depression to reclaim joy and balance in their lives, my wish for you today is that you will go about your Friday with a joyful dedication to yourself.
Peace,
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
TRULY SPEAKING: Why Should I Listen to You?
Tell me, why should I listen to you? Is it because you have something to say that's more important than anything I could have to say? (No.) Maybe it's because you're smarter than I am? (Not likely.) Or perhaps you are simply more interesting than I? (Nope, not that either.)
So, why should I listen to you? Here's why: Because I might learn something that will make me better, brighter, funnier, faster, smarter, even sexier. I should listen to you, because I'm interested in myself.
Sound crazy? Think again! The fact is that all of our brains go through this thought process—just not usually so specifically. That's why the most captivating of public speakers regularly start their speeches out with a question that's geared toward the audience (such as, "Who here is embarrassed by their middle name?") in order to hook our egos immediately and immerse us in the talk as if our lives, for the moment at least, depended on it.
Being a spectacular speaker means reaching out to your audience to talk about what interests them. But the true secret to really connecting with that audience is aligning what interests you—your true passion in life—to audience interests. If you're embarrassed by your own middle name, you can tell a tale or two about growing up, hiding your middle initial wherever possible or humorously fudging your middle name with hilarious results. Your audience will then laugh—not at you, but with you, as they recognize elements of themselves in your truly captivating story.
So, why should you listen to me? Simple: You want to be a better communicator, and you feel connected to what I'm saying.
To make a big splash with your audience—whether it's a packed house or a cozy home—means finding common ground that you and they both can share and indwell for as long as you're speaking. After all, not everyone is automatically as good at listening as you are.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
So, why should I listen to you? Here's why: Because I might learn something that will make me better, brighter, funnier, faster, smarter, even sexier. I should listen to you, because I'm interested in myself.
Sound crazy? Think again! The fact is that all of our brains go through this thought process—just not usually so specifically. That's why the most captivating of public speakers regularly start their speeches out with a question that's geared toward the audience (such as, "Who here is embarrassed by their middle name?") in order to hook our egos immediately and immerse us in the talk as if our lives, for the moment at least, depended on it.
Being a spectacular speaker means reaching out to your audience to talk about what interests them. But the true secret to really connecting with that audience is aligning what interests you—your true passion in life—to audience interests. If you're embarrassed by your own middle name, you can tell a tale or two about growing up, hiding your middle initial wherever possible or humorously fudging your middle name with hilarious results. Your audience will then laugh—not at you, but with you, as they recognize elements of themselves in your truly captivating story.
So, why should you listen to me? Simple: You want to be a better communicator, and you feel connected to what I'm saying.
To make a big splash with your audience—whether it's a packed house or a cozy home—means finding common ground that you and they both can share and indwell for as long as you're speaking. After all, not everyone is automatically as good at listening as you are.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 7, 2009
WORD OF THE WEEK: Sign (Language) of the Times
Happy Labor Day! After a feast with my in-laws today (following yesterday's requisite yard work), I casually perused the internet, looking for a Word of the Week that would allow me to re-address that newbie 'net word pwn from a couple of weeks ago. What I found—a list of New Words for 2009 on Merriam-Webster.com—really jumped out at me: From acai to zip line, the newest dictionary additions speak volumes about what's important or timely in American culture.
But it was some of the words in between that really made me think. Environmentally related words and phrases like carbon footprint, green collar, and locavore (LO-ka-VORE—one who eats locally grown food as often as possible) show a shift in the devil-may-care attitude about the planet that was so prevalent in the Twentieth Century. There are health-related words, like cardioprotective, naproxen, neuroprotective, pharmacogenetics, and phyisatry, that show how proactive we've become about our health care. Our fascination with electronic entertainment, as well as with celebrity, are reflected in such hot new terms as fan fiction, flash mob, frenemy, vlog and webisode. Our global connections are reinforced with the induction of foreign words: goji, haram, reggaeton. Even the economic recession is addressed in something as simple as staycation (stay-KA-SHUN—a vacation spent at home or nearby; possibly popular, I'm assuming, with locavores).
I could go on even more about these newly-added words, but I'll let you look and decide for yourself. What jumps out at you when you read the list?
One more note: Thanks to my friend Chad, who happens to work as a beta-tester for gaming companies (and thanks, too, to a little help from television), I've learned that there are a couple of ways to pronounce pwn: PONE or POON. And there's also a secondary definition, that of a newcomer to a multi-player online game. Whether in its verb form ("I pwned you that round!") or its noun form ("You don't know what you're doing, you pwn"), it's still always an insult. And that's yet another reason for keeping up with the latest language of the times!
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
But it was some of the words in between that really made me think. Environmentally related words and phrases like carbon footprint, green collar, and locavore (LO-ka-VORE—one who eats locally grown food as often as possible) show a shift in the devil-may-care attitude about the planet that was so prevalent in the Twentieth Century. There are health-related words, like cardioprotective, naproxen, neuroprotective, pharmacogenetics, and phyisatry, that show how proactive we've become about our health care. Our fascination with electronic entertainment, as well as with celebrity, are reflected in such hot new terms as fan fiction, flash mob, frenemy, vlog and webisode. Our global connections are reinforced with the induction of foreign words: goji, haram, reggaeton. Even the economic recession is addressed in something as simple as staycation (stay-KA-SHUN—a vacation spent at home or nearby; possibly popular, I'm assuming, with locavores).
I could go on even more about these newly-added words, but I'll let you look and decide for yourself. What jumps out at you when you read the list?
One more note: Thanks to my friend Chad, who happens to work as a beta-tester for gaming companies (and thanks, too, to a little help from television), I've learned that there are a couple of ways to pronounce pwn: PONE or POON. And there's also a secondary definition, that of a newcomer to a multi-player online game. Whether in its verb form ("I pwned you that round!") or its noun form ("You don't know what you're doing, you pwn"), it's still always an insult. And that's yet another reason for keeping up with the latest language of the times!
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Sep 4, 2009
TRULY SPEAKING/WEEKLY UPDATE: Truly Listening
This week, I made a decision that affected the blog: After weeks (and in one case, months) of attempting to get together with two different friends in neighboring cities, I re-prioritized and committed to commuting to visit them—two days in a row in different directions—even though it meant I wouldn't have mid-week blog time. Seeing my friends, connecting with them face to face, was just that important to me.
One friend is about to move much farther away—to Dallas, Texas—from Chicago. While I have the chance, I want to take advantage of our shared time, so I drove the hour-plus to lunch with her on Wednesday (and then treat ourselves to girly pedicures!).
The other is a childhood friend with whom I've been in touch to varying degrees since we met in the first grade. Our life schedules have been so hectic over the past year that we've missed out on our usual holiday-centered visits in our hometown. So, I drove two hours to Indianapolis where we met for an early dinner, explored the city's refurbished downtown, then treated ourselves to a little sale-based shopping spree.
Both visits had one prime focal point: conversation. I lingered over lunch in Chi-town and dawdled over dinner in Indy; wherever we were, we two (both sets) talked and talked and talked. We may have been trying on blue jeans or testing out toe nail polish colors, but somehow we managed to interweave deeper subject matter, things that really touched our hearts, into every conversation. And even more importantly, we listened to each other.
One testament to true friendship is listening. An important part of truly listening is making eye contact—something that just can't be replicated over the telephone or in text and e-mail messages. In a time when success is so rarely measured by how many true, deep friendships one shares, listening is key for life success in many areas—from personal relationships to work-based ones. How well do you listen? And just how do you know ...?
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
One friend is about to move much farther away—to Dallas, Texas—from Chicago. While I have the chance, I want to take advantage of our shared time, so I drove the hour-plus to lunch with her on Wednesday (and then treat ourselves to girly pedicures!).
The other is a childhood friend with whom I've been in touch to varying degrees since we met in the first grade. Our life schedules have been so hectic over the past year that we've missed out on our usual holiday-centered visits in our hometown. So, I drove two hours to Indianapolis where we met for an early dinner, explored the city's refurbished downtown, then treated ourselves to a little sale-based shopping spree.
Both visits had one prime focal point: conversation. I lingered over lunch in Chi-town and dawdled over dinner in Indy; wherever we were, we two (both sets) talked and talked and talked. We may have been trying on blue jeans or testing out toe nail polish colors, but somehow we managed to interweave deeper subject matter, things that really touched our hearts, into every conversation. And even more importantly, we listened to each other.
One testament to true friendship is listening. An important part of truly listening is making eye contact—something that just can't be replicated over the telephone or in text and e-mail messages. In a time when success is so rarely measured by how many true, deep friendships one shares, listening is key for life success in many areas—from personal relationships to work-based ones. How well do you listen? And just how do you know ...?
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
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