Language 2.0

I recently gave a speech at our Toastmasters meeting on the evolution, or rather the backward evolution of language.  It was a social commentary on the buzz words we tend to hear in the work place these days.  Here is the transcript of my speech:

You’re on a conference call at work – let’s say it is an internal call.  The conversation starts off with the niceties – hello how are you, darn its Monday again! But as the talks proceed you start hearing words and phrases that do not exactly translate literally. “We don’t have the bandwidth” someone says.  “Lets take that offline.” Comes the response.  Then we descend completely into this phenomenon known as “business speak.” Maybe we suffered a “paradigm shift” or or our solutions weren’t “scalable” or we needed to employ more “sustainable solutions”.  These abstract words and phrases have all but infiltrated our use of language.  You can probably sense my attitude towards the usuage of what is semantically defined as plastic words – it is not a positive one.  Whether they are a bane or a boon to the art of communication in the big picture, I think these plastic words have degraded our use of language and caused a break down in effective communication.

Plastic words – the phrase was coined by a German author who believed that language is changing in a unique and disturbing way.  Yes, there is actual theory behind this, not just my afternoon rant.  These words come to us in the form of top-down language  – an inorganic method where language is given to a culture and is created from some other realm that is alien to the culture’s vernacular.  Vernacular is your everyday colloquial language.  However, top down language is more scientific and it is brought to us by so called experts.  These experts are probably working professionals like you & me – business, technical, psychological and financial consultants and of course reporters and politicians.  They are the mediators – the point where knowledge is put into practice.  So what’s the problem you ask?  The expert silences critical thinking by appearing positive and enlightened.  The consequence is that it disempowers people – we are all forced to view the world through the lens of the experts. Plastic words condense a huge field of experience in one expression – the layperson lacks the power to define these words. For the first time in history there are indications of a universal language and this language is being generated in an inorganic, top-down manner. Plastic words are creating a homogenization of the English language and are reducing the diversity in our thinking.

Now don’t get me wrong – I love using plastic words.  I hear my dad using them all the time and I am familiar with the usage though not always the meaning of most. The truth is a lot of people who enter the work force are new to the terminology thus creating room for a lot of miscommunication to occur. My cousin shared an experience with me recently.  He was on a conference call with his manager and a customer apparently trying very hard to drive a point home.  His boss however felt this conversation needed to wait and cautioned that we should take this offline. My cousin – I don’t know what he thought it meant but the request was lost on him and he continued pressing his point until finally he received a text from his boss saying Ram shut up!  We had a good laugh over his story but the truth is this isn’t an isolated case – a lot of people take a while to catch on to the work place lingo.  The problem with plastic words is that they completely lack imagery.  When you think of the word modernization can you picture what it means in your mind’s eye?  What about scalability?  This lack of imagery leads to a higher chance of miscommunication. Plastic words replace precise words and blur meaning thus creating a detrimental effect on our language.

Plastic words take on a life of their own and change in meaning according to the intention of the speaker.  How are we expected to communicate consistently and clearly when the words themselves don’t stand for the same thing from one context to the next?  And can you imagine the whole world talking like this one day?  So should we just shrug this off as the natural evolution of language?  Maybe. Sure.  We don’t have “visibility” yet to the outcome of language “2.0.” But if we “drill down” to it, does it really “facilitate” effective conversation? Maybe we should “leverage” the knowledge I shared with you today and work on the quality of our communication “going forward.”  How about I “touch base” with you on your progress next week?

Love… Simply

Jimmy Tran did the HP Northside Toastmaster club a very honorable service by representing the club at the Area Speech Contest, held on 18-March2011.  I hope you are able to appreciate the craftsmanship he put into his speech writing…

THANK YOU Jimmy!!

There are literally thousands of words in the English dictionary that I don’t know the meaning of or have ever used in my daily conversations with other people. However, there exists one word that, above all others, perplexes me and yet, I use it on a day-to-day basis. In fact, the word emanates from my lips several times a day. What is this word, you ask?

Let me first give you some background information on it. For starters, almost everyone defines it in a different way. The frequency with which it is used is also dependent on the source. Even the way it’s used varies from person to person. Some choose to use it very loosely, while others reserve it for a select few in their lives. Looking at the origin of the word, we find that it stretches back thousands of years. Still, uncovering the root of it does very little in addressing the sheer complexity of the word itself.

Simply think about it though, how do YOU define the word “love”?

Arguably the most powerful emotion in the known universe, love is also the most unexplainable. It can consume us so easily. We revel in it and somehow also wallow in it. Think about that. Are other emotions such as happiness capable of that? How about anxiousness? Or anger? Probably not. Yet to classify love as just another emotion is undermining the magnitude of the word and the burden that comes along with it.

The concept of love is so abstract and intricate that some see it as language, or a skill, or even a profession rather than an emotion.

Thus, trying to encapsulate it all in this brief speech is far too daunting of a task.

In fact, it’d make little sense for me to provide my own personal thoughts on love as I’ve only been in love but once. Sure, I love my family, I love my friends, I love writing, I love sports, I love Cheddar Jack Cheez-Its, and I love a breezy summer day. But the love I speak of today is much different. It’s the type of love that is glorified and revered through Hallmark cards, sappy movies, and pop ballads, and in that poetry book you read during sophomore year in college. In short, it’s the love that we all search for every day of our lives.

Fortunately for me, my search ended when I met this girl four years ago. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but that’s the way love operates. It disregards whatever situation you find yourself in. It’s unpredictable and unexpected. It doesn’t recognize the color of people’s skins, their cultural backgrounds, their gender, their age, or even the language they speak.

In my opinion, we don’t even get to really choose who we fall in love with. Through some cosmic chain of events, we as individuals become aligned with another person.

And so, here I am, four years later. Although it’s cliché to say, I have truly experienced the power of love. The absolute elation it brings upon you when you know you feel it for someone. How it just lifts you to another altitude and rids your mind of all the pain and concerns troubling your soul.  At the same time, it’s also dragged me down to depths so low, I’m still unsure as to exactly how I ever managed to climb out.

And, I know what you might be thinking. You’re just a kid. What do you possibly know about the pain of love? Well, while I may not have felt the sting of a lost love like some in here may have, I do know that all the pain and agony felt afterward…was worthwhile. And that if any of you could go back, you’d do it again. Once again – unexplainable.

Why else would we deceive ourselves into going through this process over and over again – fully aware of how love can break our spirits?

Clearly, love goes against every single ounce of rationality we have in our bodies. Our hearts don’t function off rhyme and reason though. It’s something far more basic. Whatever it is exactly, it drives us to do reckless things. Ironically, it is love, the purest element in the universe, that is capable of extracting some truly frightening stuff from within us.

Nevertheless, there is that sense of honor and integrity that I always feel when I think about love. That sense that love is a without a shadow of a doubt, a selfless act, and that you can’t love someone else if you love yourself more. That’s love though. One paradox after another.

Although I may have trouble pin pointing how it functions and where it stems from, I do know one thing for certain.

And that is I love this girl. I KNOW I do, because when I’m with her, I feel truly happy. She takes one look at me, her eyes piercing into mine, and I become completely vulnerable. Willing to risk anything and everything for her. Willing to go through all the highs and the lows because a life filled with stability just doesn’t seem worth living.

In a way, I love her without really knowing how.

As the saying goes, love is what makes the world go round and arguably just as vital to our lives just as oxygen and blood are. Just remember though, to love is to take risks. And when we take risks, we sometimes fail.

But don’t ever let that discourage you from taking down your guard and allowing yourself to care for someone more than anything else in this world.

Allow yourself to take a leap and count on someone to be there to catch you.

Allow yourself to throw caution to the wind and listen to your heart rather than your mind.

Allow yourself to experience something that, despite my best efforts just now, cannot be defined.

Some Other Beginning’s End

This post is adapted from a speech Lisa gave at HP Northside Toastmasters yesterday.  The full text can be found on her blog, here.

Poi is one of the traditional performing arts of the Māori people of New Zealand.  It’s developed many forms over the years, and is used worldwide as a hobby, exercise, or performance art alongside activities like juggling.

I started a week ago.  I’m by no means very good at this particular activity.  It’s a difficult art to master.  While adding in fire makes it more exciting, it certainly doesn’t make it easier; I’ve definitely burnt off some hair in the past week. Read more.

Welcome Scott!

Please welcome our newest member Scott Leslie!
Mentor – Carrie McQueen

Job: Community Renewal Project – Director, Community Development

Education: B.A., Cal Poly SLO (San Luis Obispo, for those who are wondering); MBA, SDSU

Hobbies: Soccer, Skiing

The most exciting thing you have done: Sitting in the in zone where Dwight Clark made “the Catch”

Fear, you want to get over: Not living a life worthy of my potential

Favorite Food: A Big Breakfast

Favorite Holiday: Easter

Most exciting vacation: Europe – 9 countries in two weeks!

Future goals: Pursue a career in economic development

Being a Toastmaster: Hope to get better at speaking on my feet

Club Meeting Etiquette Guide

Setting: Just like Moses presenting the “Ten Commandments” to the Jews, just slightly different, and not as “set in stone”…

A lot of what we practice within the weekly club meetings is to help each of us in the real world.  Here are a couple rules to keep in mind when participating within the meetings.

1.       Plan to come to the meeting at least 5-10 minutes early

a.       This allows for everyone to get acquainted and settled prior to the meeting and would not be disruptive to the flow of the meeting

b.       This is also helpful when the meeting room is further away from the front desk/lobby

2.       Please remember to turn off or silence your phone during the meeting

3.       Feel welcome to bring your lunch!

a.       The only caveat is to eat quietly to not disrupt the meeting and not to speak while having food in your mouth

4.       Greet everyone you see in the meeting, especially guests

a.       For some of us introducing ourselves is a difficult thing to do

b.      This will help build confidence and better your repo ire as you meet new people outside of the meetings

5.       If you have taken a role in the meeting, take a moment to review the background of the role

a.       These are found in the Club Welcome Packet or the CC and CL Manuals

i.       If you have further questions, please ask the week’s Toastmaster or your Mentor

b.      Not only does it allow you to familiarize yourself with the role, but also let guests know why we perform that role

6.       When speaking during the meeting, stand up

a.       This helps bring the attention of the audience to you

7.       When coming up to the lectern or podium, shake hands and do not leave the lectern or podium unattended

a.       This allows a unspoken “transfer of control”  between speaker and Toastmaster

b.      Leaving the lectern/podium unattended shows the audience some awkwardness and lack of interaction during the change of control

8.       Clap when roles and speakers are introduced and when they are done speaking

a.       When a meeting participant is going to the lectern, keep clapping until the control of the meeting is handed over – usually signified by a handshake

Please know that this is expected to be a living document – it will be updated as necessary.  As suggested in the meeting, we look to the General Evaluator to monitor and report on any improvements/successes during the club meeting.

HP Sustainability Network at Roseville, CA. – by Rafael Palacios

The HP Sustainability Network at Roseville is working to expand and enrich environmental awareness within HP and the surrounding community.  The HP Sustanability Network’s purpose is to help increase learning about, demonstrating, and sharing environmental practices that benefit HP and the Planet by balancing the needs of current and future generations.

Here are some topics we plan to cover in our meetings:

• Energy saving and solar power
• Composting and beekeeping
• Water conservation/consumption
• Recycling and hazardous materials
• Global Warming and Climate change
• Community Gardens and organic food
• Balcony gardening
• Environmental benefits of trees
• Biking, hiking and commuting
• Fossil fuels and transportation
• Social and green investing
• Design for environment and product stewardship

If you are interested, I would like to invite you to the Monthly meetings held at 11am of every first Tuesday of the month  at the HP Roseville Campus, in Garden Suite B.  The next meeting is on Tuesday, 5-October 2010.  This is not exclusive to HP employees – non-HP participants are encouraged and welcome!

For any questions or further information, please feel free to contact me, Rafael Palacios.

On behalf of the HP Sustainability Network – Thank you!

I Pledge Allegiance to Global Citizenship – by Terry Ammirati

A thought provoking speech from Terry was delivered in today’s meeting.  Please feel free to share your comments and feedback!

Timelines…..

We all have them. We start with birth, end with death and there’s a whole lot in between. Farmers have a timeline of planting their seed, watching their crop grow and waiting to harvest. What you can possibly do with your timeline is what I’m going to talk about today.

Here’s my timeline (graphic shown) and as you can see I’m more closer to death and really the past 15 years has really changed my perspective on so many things. I became a mother, I traveled extensively abroad, we all experienced 9/11 and I began to think more about my legacy and leaving this world better than I found it. Today I would like to portray myself as that farmer who’s planting my seed and introduce the concept of Global Citizenship. But first let me ask a couple of questions.

The Olympics comes around every 4 years and for 2 weeks during that time you have different nations, races and religions all living in the athletes village harmoniously for one common goal – the privilege to compete and to fulfill a dream. Why this is only possible for 2 weeks every 4 years for an extremely small amount of the population on earth? Why during the Olympics, we can cheer on the Iraqi soccer team, wanting them to win because they are certainly the underdog, but we are mortal enemies otherwise?  Hard questions huh?

We in this room live in California within the United States within North America on this Earth.

My friend, Peter Klein lives in Amsterdam (over 5000 miles away) within Holland within Europe on this Earth.

My other friend, Jon Danks, lives in Melbourne (8000 miles away) within Australia within the Pacific Rim on this Earth. Can you see a pattern here? Don’t we all live on this earth and although we may be American, Dutch or Australian, we are all earthlings? I don’t think people really understand this and many of us are just about my state, my nation, my possessions, me me me me me. There won’t be a United States or a Holland or an Australia unless we learn to live in peace together while taking care of what is ours, not mine.

Global Citizenship is an idealistic view of caring for each other and our planet and one that’s necessary to cultivate for our children and our children’s children. I don’t believe the end of the world will come sooner because of God’s Wrath but because of our own destructive behaviors. This really sounds like a bleeding heart liberal talking before you but I’m not that. I’m just a Mom who cares about the future of her children and who’s educated to reason that one day the well will run dry and the food supply will be too scarce to feed all us earthlings. That’s when it will really come to blows and everyone will be out for themselves.

Global Citizenship speaks to several aspects that needs to be addressed by us earthlings:

• Conservation of resources (water, land, wildlife)
• Reduction of emissions to improve air quality and reverse ozone erosion (cars, industry, cattle)
• Understanding and tolerance of our differences (cultural, religious or political)
• Adopting an altruistic mindset

So what can we do today, right now?

• Assess your consumption of water and utilities and make efforts to reduce usage
• Recycle and Reuse
• Reduce beef consumption, carpool, work from home
• Educate yourself on other cultures and religions because with education comes a greater understanding
• Educate others about Americans (not American Politicians) – Spread goodwill
• Offer service to others – Volunteer

In closing, I thought about our new earthling nation. Our flag may look something like this. (Picture of a white flag with the earth in the middle and people holding hands around it. It also contains 2 doves in one corner and a peace symbol in the other). Our anthem will certainly be something with a reggae beat. Our mascot will be a dove representing hope and peace. My goal today was to plant that seed with each one of you about Global Citizenship and I hope that seed grows and we can harvest year after year after year.

In the immortal words of Jimmy Cliff (famous reggae singer):

“It’s a long, long road to travel and it’s a rough rough way to go but my mind’s made up, my heart is fixed, my faith will see me though”.

Second Lease on Life – by Dennis Asunto

In 1997, my life ended. My first life, that is. But before I tell you about the end, let me start from the beginning.

I was born 21 years earlier in 1976, in a small town at the southernmost island of the Philippines. We didn’t stay there long since my father’s career kept us on the move. When I was three, we moved to Manila, the country’s capital city. The best  way to describe life in Manila is it’s a lot like living in a big city like Los Angeles—it is bustling, with lots of people, traffic on all freeways and, of course,  an abundant  amount of  pollution. We lived the typical middle class life—my father was a banker, my mother was a stay-at-home mom and I was an only child, studying in a Catholic private school.

Congratulations Gerardo!

A message from the HP Northside President, Hydee VanHook.

Last week, the Toastmasters Fall area contest was hosted on the HP Campus.  The contest, which included the Humorous and Table Topics categories,  was well attended and a success.  It featured a number of excellent speakers, and, of course, food – potluck style!

Gerardo represented HP Northside at the contest, competing in the Humorous prepared speech category.  His stage comedy presence was very well-received – enough so that they asked him to compete in Table Topics!  Gerardo ended up taking home first-place trophies in both categories, reflecting his knack for humor that we at HP Northside appreciate and enjoy every week. Once again, congratulations!

It was tough competition among fourteen participants.  Every speaker was talented and animated, and the best part of it was that we were entertained.

Congratulations to all participants.  Everyone delivered quality speeches and a total package of laughter.

The next stop for Gerardo is the division contest, which will be held on October 12.  Fellow Toastmasters, you don’t want to miss this one.

Proud member of HP Northside,

-Hydee

The Endless Chase – by Jimmy Tran

Last week, HP Northside Toastmasters had the pleasure of hearing Jimmy Tran’s Icebreaker speech.  The reception was so enthusiastic that we asked him for permission to share his speech on the blog.  Here’s the transcript of his very first toastmasters speech.

Ladies and gentleman, I stand before you a sellout.

Every time I drink from my thermos, every time I use my EPP discount, every time I swipe my badge, every time I use my headset to talk on my cell phone, I am selling out, make no mistake about it.

See, when I was a child, I wanted to be a cowboy…but certain things stood in the way of that. One of them being that a real cowboy is actually NOTHING like the ones I saw in movies and television.