On 30 Jan 98 at 0:04, Meredith Emmett wrote:
> Thanks for your thoughts. I have been reading posts to this list for
> several months now and have been quite dismayed by the use of created
> language that doesn't always communicate. I am executive director of a
> nonprofit that is striving to be a learning organization. I am not deeply
> schooled in the analytical thinking of learning organizations and find the
> more shall we say academic language a barrier to applying ideas and
> thoughts from the list.
I don't see the "obscure" language, necessarily as academic...I think that
does a dis-service to academics. I've been teaching for 20+ years in some
form or another, and that's just another way of saying half+ of my life
has been about helping others learn.
I learned early on, that despite my early tendency to use longer words and
sentences, I had to learn to communicate to them that's there, IF my goal
is to help others.
Now, I know this is a bias, because my main interest is in communication
and influence, but I my experience has taught me that the more liberties
people take with language, the more people use particular difficult to
understand language when it isn't necessary, the LESS their concern about
helping others, and the more their concern about portraying themselves in
some particular ways.
On a lighter note, I am keeping some of the messages because they are a)
very funny and b) really good examples of how to write so nobody will pay
attention. <grin>
And finally: Bob's Law:
The more complex the language used by someone, the less likely they have
been able to grasp what they think they are talking about.
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