Discovery

I must say, there are few things that generate a feeling of inner delight more than discovering something. Christopher Columbus, for example, must have been absolutely thrilled when he discovered a new land after sailing across "the ocean blue" for months with no idea where exactly he and his crew were heading. (Never mind that this so-called "new land" already had inhabitants.) And it was downright cute to see the expression of self-importance on the face of President Trump when he announced recently that no one ever knew that health care was so complicated. (Again, never mind that tons of folks did, in fact, know that.)

I recently made a discovery that has been known by thousands of men and women. It is a gem of a book called "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss. This thoroughly enjoyable book was released in 2003 and was a huge best-seller. To me, however, it was unknown. But now that is no longer the case, I wish to share my "discovery" with any one and everyone because this highly readable work by Truss is worth being checked-out by as many others as possible. The focus of the book is punctuation and its significant contribution to that equally-significant form of communication called writing. Do not let the topic fool you, this book is very enjoyable.

How one punctuates a sentence dictates its meaning and is often the deciding factor of whether what they have written is properly understood, according to Truss. In driving home this point, the author focuses on such important communication tools as commas, apostrophes, dashes and semi-colons.  The way in which Truss does it is as fun as it is informative. I cannot think of anyone who would not benefit from giving this discovery of mine a thorough look-see. Truss tackles the topic of punctuation with the ferocity of a warrior, yet one with a giant twinkle in her eye. Her quest to defend punctuation deserves the support of us all. So, in announcing my "discovery," to all I say: "You are most welcome."

Information Velocity

One of the more famous super hero characters is "The Flash." as his title suggests, his super power is that he is extremely fast - even faster than Superman, who, as everyone knows, is "faster than a speeding bullet." Flash's opponents have a very tough time defeating him because of his great speed. They simply cannot keep up with it. Consequently, Flash usually wins the day before they even know what is going in. Yay Flash. He is fictional proof that speed is hard to overcome almost under any circumstances. Flash, of course, is not the only thing that travels with breathtaking velocity. Specifically, I am talking about information.

Whether it is true or false, complex or simple, when information leaves the starting gate it even gives The Flash a run for his money.  Over the years, Flash's enemies and admirers have come to greatly respect his power. In the real world, however, I am not so sure how much followers of information truly respect its power and speed. I say that because of the great effort so many folks put into trying to use information for ill-purpose or try to stifle it. Information is not meant to be held back or curtailed. Rather, it needs to be allowed to do what it is supposed to do: inform. Nevertheless, there seem to be those who combat that.

I am thinking of professional communicators who have come to be called "spinmeisters." These men and women pretend to be proponents of information, yet actually strive to manipulate it for their own gain. The fact is they are not any more admirers of information than they are of an enlightened population. These hired hands seek to use information to manipulate and control. In other words, they are enemies of information and all who look to it to be informed. The irony is information, even with its great speed, is neither good nor bad. Left alone, it simply is. Allies of information are the ones who respect that and dedicate themselves to letting its dependents decide for themselves how best to use it.

Contradictions

Is it just me or does it seem a lot of the so-called sound pieces,of advice in the world contradict each other? For instance, since I was a little boy, I have been told how important it is for me to save my money. Put whatever I make in a savings account. Build up a nest egg. In my own imperfect way, I have at least tried to do that. But as I got older, I kept hearing "if I want to make money, then I have to spend it." but if I do that, then what about the money I am supposed to be saving? The government keeps telling us it wants to lower taxes so we can keep more of "our money," yet everyone knows the nation's economy only flourishes when people spend their dough.

Here is another: "silence is golden." How many times has that been drummed into our heads as children? Yet as we grow, we are told to"lift our voices" as the only way to make a difference in this world is to be heard or speak out. That makes sense, of course, but how can I do that if I am being silent? No question, these and many other contradictory messages can and do leave one confused and with little guidance as to how best to proced. Save or spend? Be quiet or speak out? I do not know about everyone else, but for me, these mixed signals can and do leave me with feelings of uncertainty from time to time.

The purpose here is not to reconcile these and other opposing pieces of advice. Rather, it is to acknowledge them and to suggest one way for us to try and make them fit as we deal with the day-to-day challenges of the world. For me, communication is the key. When faced with contradictory directives or forks in a road, it helps to be honest about the dilemma this presents and then try to systematically reconcile each message with the circumstance that has brought us to such a point. In other words, each piece of advice, regardless of how contradictory it might be, is valid so long as we can properly apply it to the moment. Good communicating on the part of ourselves and others can do that.

Communication Glut

In the world of business, when there is too much of a particular good or product on the market, it is often referred to as a glut. The result is either people usually stop buying the product, the cost of it is marked-down dramatically, or stores simply pull it off the shelves and take a loss for that over-saturation. In other words, "gluts" are not viewed as being good things. In their quest to make more money, stores sometimes go too far. In essence, they cross an invisible line of manufacturing too much of what they see as a popular or viable product. When this happens, customers end up turning away from something they were once attracted to. 

With that as an example, is it possible to have a "communication glut?" Is it possible to go too far in putting forth a particular message? Is it possible to have a message that once served as a rallying cry for folks becomes so overused that it causes them to turn away rather than step forward? I believe so. Think of the fable, "The boy who cried wolf." At first, his message brought people together. After awhile, however, they turned away from his cries. More realistically, look no further than how many politicians communicate with prospective voters. At first, the politician blasts away at their opponent. People give a-listen. But if this is the only message the politician has, then often times those would-be supporters simply move on.  

Many professional communicators will agree that if a message is to be successfully communicated to a targeted public, then it must be repeated and reinforced. But this does not necessary mean it should be stated in the exact same way time after time. That core message must be refined, repackaged, perhaps even improved upon. A parrot keeps saying the same thing. After a while, their wanting a cracker becomes pretty annoying. People need variety in how messages are sent to them. Effective packaging can help avoid the occurrence of communication gluts.        

The Daily Mail

It was initially designed to provide its readers with world news in what author A. N. Wilson describes as "bulletin form." Would readers take to such a vehicle? The creator, Alfred Harmsworth, was optimistic they would so he planned an initial printing of 100,000. It turned out Harmworth was off. The first edition of The Daily Mail ended up selling just under 400,000 copies. Not a bad beginning for England's latest newspaper back in May, 1896 - 121years ago. Since that most impressive debut, The Daily Mail has not looked back. As England's second most popular newspaper in terms of circulation, today it continues to be as successful as ever.

Those early additions were filled with stories about crime and sports, including cricket and racing, according to Wilson. Like numerous other successful ventures, however, it was not without critics. One such person, again reported by Wilson in his book "The Victorians," described it as a "newspaper produced by office boys for office boys." Maybe so. But looking back, it seems office boys sure liked to read back then. Thankfully, they still do. Newspapers like The Daily Mail continue to thrive and provide a valuable service to those continue to enjoy getting their local and world updates in written form.

This entry is a shout-out to The Daily Mail as it nears another important milestone. On a broader scale, this is also a show of support to all newspapers of the world. We need them more than ever. In a world of division and not a little tension, communiques designed to provide ongoing information to the masses are vital to whatever chance there is of people and even governments becoming more in-sync. Obviously, that is not the only answer, but it is one that is an absolute necessity if we are ever going to see or enjoy greater peace. So, thank you The Daily Mail and all your sister publications. Keep doing what you are doing.

Let the Aplogies Begin!

There is an old saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Looking at the You Tube video of the passenger being dragged off the United Airlines plane at the Chicago airport, I cannot wonder how many words such an image is worth. Ten thousand? A million? Whatever the total, you can bet not one of them is positive. And none of them is going to be going away any time soon. Folks from United Airlines, including the company's chief executive officer, have been doing their best to make amends to the passenger who they removed from the plane, those who witnessed what happened, and to the nation itself. So far, and rightfully so, their apologies have been falling on deaf ears.

In other news, White House press secretary Sean Spicer, who seems to be well on his way to becoming everyone's favorite cartoon, is now doing his best to back away from a statement he made in which he downplayed the horror that Hitler inflicted upon Germany's Jewish population via poison gas in the 1930s and 1940s. Thus far, public and press reaction to what he said is giving United Airlines a run for its money in terms of which one is generating the most outrage. My guess is it is going to a long while before Spicer is able to move past this monumental gaffe. It may even ultimately cost him his job.

People say dumb things. People make mistakes. Generally, few are serious enough to where they cause lasting damage. In my view, this is not the case with United Airlines and Spicer. From a communication standpoint, other than offer heartfelt regrets, the United CEO and Spicer need to simply plant their feet on the ground and weather the criticism and negative reaction being directed toward them at present. They should not make excuses or try to explain-away what happened. The last thing either one needs is to appear defensive. The better able they are to perceived to be taking genuine responsibility for what happened, the more quickly the public will move on.          

Haircuts

There are many communication challenges in our lives and world. Ther are those that, you might say, are an ongoing part of life such as trying to communicate one's feelings to another. And then ther are those that I consider to be more situational. Things are fine and suddenly the stars align in a certain way and - presto! - you find yourself struggling to come up with the right words that properly convey what it is you are thinking. even though this situation may have occurred before, it never cease to surprise or frustrate. At least that is how it is for me. I am talking about haircuts - that necessary act that never goes away.

Normally, I get my hair cut every six or so. Mainly it depends upon what length I want my hair to be. Each time I approach the barber's chair I have a definite image in my mind what I want my hair to look like after my hair is cut. Yet properly communicating that to the hair cutter is never not a challenge. "Take a little off the top." What exactly does that mean? What is a "little?" I will often say, "Just around the sides and back," knowing I do not want the hair on the top of my head to be ignored. I struggle with this. And I can tell the barber who is on the receiving end of my instructions is struggling, too. How could they not be? They, too, are trying to understand what it is I am saying or, more to the point, meaning.

The result of this experience is lots of stress. Sometimes I walk away with a haircut that is pleasing and other times not. Never do I walk into any barber shop with full confidence that all is going to go well. What's the deal here? How could something seeming so simple produce such angst and be fodder for miscommunication? My wife is smart in that often she brings in a photo from a magazine of a hair style or cut she wants. Still, even with that, she does not always get what she wants. I definitely have to give this more thought and keep working on my communication skills in the process.

Additional Communication Boundaries

When it comes to raising children, there is a school of thought among many that basically says children function better with limits. If definite boundaries are set, they are more likely to carry on in a safer manner as well as feel more emotionally secure in doing so. This also gives the parents a greater sense of control. For instance, I have known parents who only allow their children to play with a specific number of toys at one time. If they want more toys out, then for everyone they take out, they have to put the same number back. This always made sense to me even though I did not practice it as well as I might have when my daughter was a little girl.

Reflecting on that has led me to wonder whether there should be more boundaries in-place when it comes to communication. On a broad scale, of course, "lines-in-the-sand" have been set. Such laws revolving around libel, slander, defamation of character, and even disturbing the peace exist for the purpose of ensuring all of us communicate within a prescribed range. Free speech but with specific limitations. Given how much easier our ability to be heard has become as a result of the many technological advances at our disposal, those broad parameters are needed even though they do not always prevent some folks the lines the laws represent.

I wonder about communication on a more narrow scale, however. Two people interact and one insults the other. A boss, for example, denigrates an employee causing that person to sit at their desk in tears. A husband get angry and takes his frustration out on his wife by verbally humiliating her in public. Sadly, such scenarios happen somewhere most every day. They are unfortunate and not right. Ideally, a lid should be put on them much in the way communication missteps have been curtailed on a broader scale. Giving people more legal tools to right communication wrongs that have been made against them is worthy of consideration.         

         

Cursing Ladies

When I was much younger, I used to try to figure out how many stars there are in the sky. After much thought and detailed calculating , my indisputable conclusion to that answer was "lots."  Even now, many years later, I remain comfortable with that answer. Here on planet Earth, much closer to my own home address, I am in the process of grappling with another question: How many local customs are there in the world? While I have not completed my work on this, more and more I am getting the feeling that my answer is going to be similar to the one about stars in the sky. Coincidence or more excellent research by me? I am content to let readers of this blog decide.

Recently, my wife and I had occasion to visit Hong Kong, one of the great cities of the world and now celebrating its 20th anniversary being turned back to the People's Republic of China by the British.  One fascinating tidbit we learned is that Hong Kong is home to what are called "cursing ladies." Are these women who scream profanities all the time? Not quite. What they do, for a fee, is place curses on any one a client wishes. Annoying boss? Oh yes. A lover who jilted you? You bet. A corrupted politician? The line forms on the right. How long the curse lasts depends upon how high of a fee one is willing to pay.

The number of ladies who do this sort of thing is fading. Nevertheless, their service continues to fill a niche. While I do not know how successful they are in this placing of curses, my guess is hiring a person to place on a curse on another has got to bring the client some level of satisfaction. While I did not hire only of these professionals, I must say I find their profession to be fascinating. In the act of communication, successfully putting forth a message no doubt is satisfying. As a way to be funny, I am tempted to compare cursing ladies to public relations specialists. After all, research is supposed to be part of their work. But I will not do that. PR fills an even bigger niche.