Gossip at the Grocer’s

January 12th, 2012

Over the Counter Communication about Cher

Juicy gossip has always existed and it has high communication value.

Gossip has such power to move information quickly and effectively that most major religions have injunctions against it. It’s in the fine print. We gloss over it as we head to the office water cooler or stretch closer to the chair next door at the hair stylists just to stay in the loop.

Often, our intentions are camouflaged behind, yes; you guessed it, celebrity gossip magazines. Gossiping about celebrities appears to be a safe and satisfying communication channel for all the good that gossip can yield.

Today, while at the checkout in a boutique grocer I like to call “Whole Mortgage”, I lamented my inability to easily separate a couple of in store coupons while the clerk looked on. Wordlessly, he handed me a pair of easy grip and long bladed scissors. “Thank you,” I said. “It appears that despite there being perforations I don’t have the strength to pull them apart. I have tennis elbow and it’s terribly painful, and I don’t even play tennis.”

He said he’d pack my groceries while I manoeuvred the money saving portion of my visit at his counter. I tried my hand at humour to entertain the troops of tired and hungry customers breathing behind me. Time ticked. I spoke again, as if about a friend, “Cher said aging sucks, and I guess I agree with her, but it’s not the looks that I care about. I can live with wrinkles. It’s my mobility and being able to do things that I would miss.”

Invoking celebrity calmed the clerk and piqued people’s interest. “I’ve never had a customer here quote Cher,” he piped in.

“Really?” I added. “She’s great.” Smiling, I added, “She’s another lovely dark haired woman.” I’m not sure if he noticed the features Cher and I shared.

Bespectacled in a totally cool way, and gay (It’s OK where I live I am the minority and well tolerated in a decidedly and decadently gay residential pocket) he added, “I follow her on Twitter.” As if his entire being was dedicated to a higher cause of communication when not on duty ringing in dollars.

Ooh lala counter top turned. Now HE was the celebrity on that spot. I was close to someone who followed Cher’s words. He had bits to communicate about her typos and message mishaps. “Oh she’s been on there for quite a long time and she can be quite interesting, but….  (His face twisted a bit with concern) ..  I dunno. It seems like she hasn’t exactly gotten the hang of how to be on there yet. She does have a lot of things she likes to type in her opinion about.”

My Public Relations DNA immediately threw in a comment about Chas and how I liked her, now him and how I heard a CBC Radio interview where he talked about his famous mom and her challenge in accepting his transition. Clerk nodded approvingly as he tucked my organic Lacinato Kale into a big paper bag. I blurted sincerely about how I envied his great relationship with his partner. We had gone from elbow pain to the human need for companionship.

Clerk of communication central cut me off. “Oh no, that’s over. Yes it died just recently and I’m ashamed to say I know about it.” He cast his eyes down on this end note.

We resumed our roles.

To end on a positive communication, I justified our chat by saying we contributed to the social good. I told him about gossip being a social value in Joseph Epstein’s book “Gossip.” Then I suggested a good movie I’d seen last week, Teenage Paparazzo by “Adrian.. Oh… that gorgeous young man from Entourage who plays a celebrity famous for being famous. Sorry I don’t have a TV so I’m a little rusty on newer celebrity names,” I trailed off.

“Next” Other clerks beckoned customers in the single line up to them.

The automatic door swung open and I pushed my cart, careful not to hurt my elbow out into the cool West Coast night air.

Over communication about celebrity, the clerk and I negotiated a relationship in neutral territory. We shared personal issues, learned something new and safely revealed a mutual interest.

Had I known I was going to drag Cher into my social interaction that night, I would have dressed with a bit more flair to communicate my admiration for her career and how she carries herself. No doubt she is not tweeting about clipping coupons for almond milk and protein builder bars.

One article on Joseph Epstein can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/2011/11/18/gIQAAPXILO_story.html

Teenage Paparazzo is an entertaining and high value look into the history and current lives of paparazzi. It follows a 13 year old ‘professional paparazzo’. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232206/

 

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Communicating with Masks and Costumes, Tentatively

October 31st, 2011

This Halloween I’m not going to express myself through costume at a social event, nor trial some fantasy aspect of the every day me.

Halloween, a scary, in a fun way time for kids is very useful for adults. It is fun and pretty risk free to put on a mask to talk for you or to try out, or dare to show off another element of the real you.

Your image will not suffer as it is all in jest and towards a lively communal atmosphere. Everyone is doing something that is a bit frivolous, humorous or even devilish. You can go beyond social convention and comment. You can even lampoon the topics usually taboo in polite conversation: politics, sex and religion.

Go ahead. Mumble your comment. Make your statement loud and proud by wearing your giant 3D expression that goes beyond language into color, costume and humor.

Why am I taking a pass this year on such opportunity?

I’m choosing to take the counsel I give when I coach people on how to express themselves well in their social media posts as well as their daily dealings in email and in person. I’m being myself and being true unto myself.

This year, I’m living my advice and modeling it as best as I humanly can, in a suit, a frock, my gym outfit or any display of the role  I am in any time you see me. I’ve chosen to model my principles 365 days a year and to grow with them. So, this year, I’m going to have a howling good time enjoying everyone’s efforts at costuming.

Oh, and at accessorizing!  There’s a lovely quote by a famous woman writer, whose name I will have to dig up (after Halloween!)  ”Our ability to accessorize is what distinguishes us from animals.”

Speaking of animal ways…

I’m not even buying a single bag of those miniature candy packs. We’re on to you, you manufacturers and marketers, aren’t we? Those tiny bites and their dastardly early placement in the stores definitely derails my health regimen. Every year it sets me up for the diet industry’s annual campaigns at Christmas.

See you at the portal of the next post, if not at my door with your call for tricks or treats.

Happy self expression.

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How Your Handwriting Connects to Your Brain Power

July 18th, 2011

Why Does Writing Make Us Smarter?

Writing Makes Us Smarter

Posted: 7/16/11 11:46 AM ET from the HUFFINGTON POST:

(I’ve always suspected it. I’ve always worried about the discontinuation of hand writing in our lives, and especially of it being replaced totally by keyboards for children learning to communicate and create. Now this article shared from the Huffington Post. Helena)

Don’t trade in your pencils and paper for a keyboard just yet.

A new study that compared the different brain processes used for writing by hand and typing has found that there are cognitive benefits to putting a pen to paper. These findings give support to the continued teaching of penmanship and handwriting in schools.

Children who don’t learn the skill of handwriting, like generations before them had to, may be missing out on an important developmental process. Compared to using two hands to type out letters on a keyboard, writing with one hand uses more complex brain power.

Writing is more complicated because it integrates the following three brain processes:

  • Visual: Seeing what is on the paper in front of you.
  • Motor: Using your fine motor skills to actually put the pen to paper and form the letters to make the words.
  • Cognitive: Remembering the shapes of the letters requires a different type of feedback from the brain.

As adults, we know that writing by hand is a much slower process than typing on a keyboard. And we’re all in a hurry to share our every thought with our social networking worlds. But, as an experiment, sit down and write a letter. See how different it feels to actually hold the pen and to have to plan out your thoughts. It’ll be good for your brain. Handwriting may be slower, and there is no spell check, but this is precisely why picking up a pen and writing your thoughts down on paper may actually help you exercise your brain.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH:
Handwriting Is Beneficial to Children’s Cognitive Development

Summary
There have been very few studies that address the various modalities of writing, such as the difference between writing with a pen on paper and a keyboard and a mouse. This review attempted to differentiate between handwriting and keyboard writing and their different implications on children’s learning; in addition the researchers looked at adult reading and writing behavior and experiences. Results from analysis of previous literature on various writing methods and their implications showed that there is a significant difference between handwriting and the use of a mechanized device. Neuroscientists have noted that the shift from handwriting to mechanized or technical writing has serious implications on cognition and skill development.

Introduction
There have been very few studies that explore the implications of the change of writing devices. This change is from traditional pen on paper to computer keyboards, digital stylus pens, and writing tablets and beyond. There are two aspects of writing; one is the visual aspect and the other is the perception and motor aspect, otherwise known as “haptics.” Some studies have revealed that in the actual act of writing by hand you must use your motor skills to copy a letter graphically, a slower process that actually aids in cognitive development. This review examined the effects of technical or mechanized writing on cognitive development and writing and other finer skills in children; and also how daily mechanized writing has affected the hand/brain relationship in learning.

Methodology

  • The researchers evaluated studies from neuroscience, biopsychology and evolutionary biology for this review.
  • The researchers attempted to detect how writing by hand aids in learning and cognitive development, and also the development of language, especially in children from various studies.
  • They also studied evidence such as brain images to identify the connections between visual stimulation by handwriting and recognition of letters and alphabets.

 

Results

  • Evidence from studies has shown that writing skill is a process that needs an integration of visual, motor, as well as cognitive or perceptive parts. The perception allows one to remember the shape of the letters that is written while sight and motor skills of the hand enable the writing. Present brain imaging shows that the nerves are also connected to these three components.
  • When a person writes uses a typewriter or a computer, he changes this pattern to a great extent. For example, typewriting involves both hands while handwriting involves one, and handwriting is slower and more laborious than typing. Handwriting needs a person to shape a letter, where typing does not.
  • Some Japanese studies have shown that repeated handwriting aids in remembering the shape of the letters better. One study showed that when children learned words by writing, they remembered it better than if they learned it by typing.
  • Handwriting makes a person focus on one point alone–the tip of the pen. However, mechanized writing makes a writer oscillate between the keypad and the monitor.

Next steps
Authors state that while this study has explored some previous work connecting writing skills of the hand and the brain, a lot more needs to be done to explain the actual connection. They suggest further studies to explore the implications of modern learning, reading and writing skills on the development of cognition and intelligence. 

Conclusion
As more and more children learn their first words and letters on the computer instead of on paper, this study is very relevant. There has been minimal research in this field and reviews of previous studies shows that when comparing handwriting to mechanized writing, the “hand is not merely a metaphor or an icon of humanness, but often the real-life focal point of a successful and genuinely fulfilling life,” opines the authors. Educators need to be aware of these findings and modify their teaching accordingly.

 

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Vancouver Communicates Community Message On the Street and Via Social Media

June 17th, 2011

Have you seen, heard or received posts and pics in Facebook and Twitter about the hooliganism in the streets of Vancouver? The shocking behaviour erupted near the arena where the Canucks gave up their grip, and the Bruins snatched up the  Stanley Cup in the 7th and last hockey game of the championship series.

Imagine the shame and then the anger. This in the city that hosted the super successful 2010 Winter Olympics. The world came to ‘us’ and now the hyper fast coverage of TV news and social media has sling shotted our shame to everyone.

Yet, even during the riots,  community spirit rebounded and took action. All the public patriotism inspired by the team colours transformed into private responsibility.

Individuals stood protectively in front of cars holding back mini mobs ready to burn them with only the power of their outstretched arms. Others selflessly grabbed bags and voluntarily worked along side city workers to clean and restore walkways and road ways overnight. Doggedly, they cleaned broken glass out of planters and heaved garbage of ill gotten gains left behind and general debris, off the streets.

Store windows now boarded up carry messages hand written about the regret and the hope of redress. When the boards were covered, people expressed thanks on Post-It notes and stuck them onto police cars.

Two types of groups started the insanity. One that came prepared to cause trouble and to benefit from it. Who else comes to town to celebrate with bags of hammers but criminal pre-meditators? The other, the drunken or misguided folks who got caught up in mob mentality and acted poorly.

Many will be charged. Social media and TV images already number in the tens of thousands. They captured perpetrators and accomplices posed in a sort of perverse vanity spurred on by social media opportunities for ‘completion’ of their cycle of exhibitionism. A special forensic video police division estimates another thousand hours of video is available for viewing. The effort will be aided with special software. Imagine the implications arising out of the new way we relate to each other, and how deeply ingrained social media has become to our communications!

Colours rallied people in the short run. Community pride communicated the message to clean up and shore up the values that we take for granted in making room the sports, commerce and all important cultural contribution to our full life in the Lower Mainland of BC.

Thank you to all workers and volunteers.

 

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NHL Stanley Cup Finals Offer 7 Lessons in Mass Communication Success

June 15th, 2011

What can a T-shirt communicate about a community?

The vibration, noise and visual sea of blue and green Vancouver Canuck team hockey jerseys is a testament to the rallying power of a cause that can mobilize an entire community to action, pride and support. Their partners in the final series excitement , the Boston Bruins, brought the crowds out on their home turf.

Team spirit and a sense of total investment in the outcome of a hockey game, represented by no more than 6 strategically skating men on the ice per team, can be seen and heard.

Team jerseys, or reasonable but correctly coloured attire has been worn by all – even bank tellers and behind the scenes admin staffers. Young and old. New Canadian or established citizenry. Behold, the power of a colour to command automatic and conditioned response in an entire community, at all levels.

What does the team you belong to look like?

With only moments to go before the puck drops in the 7th and last game of the 2011 Stanley Cup, I’m now safely at my keyboard listening to the anticipatory whoops and hollers and reporting on what is going on outside. Helicopters are circling as they often do when more than 100,000 people come to town.

Swarms of people have been making their way for hours now to the giant outdoor screens, patios, pubs and plazas on a sunny but comfortably cool Thursday in June,  in the heart of Vancouver, Canada.

I know the power of a team effort and success in communicating effectively. A team can represent and promote well beyond the original reason for its activity. Well beyond the front line squad’s talent on the ice at any given time.

My hometown’s Winnipeg Jets traveled from the centre of Canada in Manitoba’s capital city, taking the message of our existence to fans and literally putting us on the map of sports and business. I could feel their ‘advance man publicity effect’ even when I made sales calls in American cities when I represented the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Executive decision makers knew I was representing a facility and opportunity where the Golden Jet came from, where Teemu Selanne lived and played and there Thomas Stein’s kids played with my son’s hockey team. The team communicated and carried power well beyond its prowess on the ice.

Now, I’m what they call an ‘ankler’, a non ice hockey athlete most likely to slide along on the sideways surface of a skate, yet I join the armchair athletes and non-fans of all ages in the spirit and the shouting.

We’ve all rallied for a heart stopping 7 games.

I’ve been witness to octogenarians pounding their canes in disgust when goals slide into Canuck nets. Tens of thousands have left comfy couches in the suburbs and fill the streets and stand together for the duration of each night’s action, here or away in Boston in front of  outdoor screens to stand together.

Their shouts will carry into the night, win or lose.

I’ll keep you posted when we have recovered, hopefully from the victory in Vancouver, BC Canada – home of the 2011 Stanley Cup in Hockey, at last.

 

 

 

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Anime Appetizer at My Manga Meal

May 23rd, 2011

Culture is Communicated and Shared  in Various Ways

Helena Kaufman

by Helena Kaufman

Ever found that you understand and enjoy more about a culture when literally consuming it?  Oh, you can immerse yourself in travel, or study the language in an intensive setting that compels you to connect with only elements of the new culture. My favorite way, however, is to literally consume it and chomp my way to understanding.

Understanding anime helps ‘outsiders’ gain a greater knowledge of Japanese culture. This week I had the unexpected fortune of combining consumption of both a big bowl of Japanese soup and an unexpected lesson from Japanese born expert in the contemporary works of anime and manga and their ancient roots. His holding a PhD, though not mentioned at the time of introduction, surely bolstered his encyclopaedic knowledge.

Isao Ebihara’s first words to me were, “Generally, the spicier the soup, the less salt.” He had politely interjected with culinary advice after eavesdropping on my queries of the server. Apparently sodium balance is an issue for both European and Japanese born Miso and Shoyu soup lovers who’ve seen their doctor’s finger wagged at them in warning. Reflecting on his own choice to dine at Benkei Ramen that day he added, “I am being disobedient.”

Happenstance in being seated next to a fellow word lover enriched my anime understanding at that meal. Not only was he a Japanese language instructor at the local university, but he authored two books plus one in the works, all on Japanese culture. The second lay between us for discussion. The first, All The World is Anime, captured in one title how I felt since discovering elements of anime and manga I relate to and sharing them with you in this blog. It’s not as easy as picking up a movie or book and absorbing.

Anime is created by Japanese people for other Japanese people. It contains many language and history as well as pop culture references PLUS physical depictions aimed at a ‘local’ market. Many artists are still mystified at how the art and its content have taken off in North America! Its points of admiration must surely include what admired for all the reasons that captivated me as a newbie: alluring multi faceted characters, a high tech look, intriguing story lines and escape into fantasy worlds.

Much of anime, especially story lines, are taken from Shinto, the indigenous religion, which has more than 2,000 years of legends and fairy tales and more than eight million deities. While most Japanese are familiar with them. You and me? Not so much.

I was delighted to find that in my sharing the content of Anime and Manga Alley blog, Isao Ebihara, a native of Japan, now resident in Canada for some 20 years, matched my points with his own generous dollops of information. We slurped on and spoke, side by side at our communal U shaped wooden table. Let me digest my new perspectives and share with you soon.

See you in the next frame,

Helena

First appeared in Anime and Manga Alley on www.lanterloon.com and posted by JIB, ON MAY 23RD, 2011. Reposted with permission.

For more on my discovery path to Anime and Manga visit www.lanterloon.com under the Anime and Manga tab at the top!  COMMENTS are welcome, here or there.

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Message in the Manicure

May 12th, 2011

Influence being what it is, I was not surprised to find myself at the manicurist, even after denying it as an ‘artist date’ in my previous blog entry. And, being an observer by nature and profession, I found the need to record the experience, then and now, too hypnotic to resist.

Be aware! What you think, say and especially write can be a powerful taunt to what I have always called ‘your silent partner’ – your subconscious – into action.

Once in your head, that suggestion does what it can to fulfill what Captain Picard exhorts on board his starship:  ”Make it so!”

Furthermore, foolishly adding a restriction pushes your mind to manifest .. things… in my case, a desire to have my first manicure since moving to Vancouver.

The salon I chose was empty of customers and apparently staff. In the echoes a young man who looked like he was surely just en route to a parking lot, assailed me and asked what I wanted. He answered my query about the service I wanted, the price and then availability of someone….. I looked around… anyone?

On my hesitant acceptance to come up the stairs and get started, I was pointed to a static display to pick an enamel colour. No one:

* Smiled in greeting

* Indicated which empty seat in the long row was to be mine

* Actually said welcome, we’re glad you’re here and want to serve you

….. Much more was missing from my ‘experience’. What was added, even before I even took my jacket off, or found ‘my’ chair, was a series of upsells. They were delivered in a staccato screech, in broken English and mostly directed to other staff.. somewhere with no notice of my linguistic or situational discomfort.

“Why don’t you want a pedicure too, it’s only $19 more.”

“Oh you look tired, do you have a sore neck? You need a massage.”

Details that normally assure me of operator skill, implement hygiene, or service details such as complying with what I want, explaining procedure and offering warm soak water were in short supply.

I won’t be returning.  Inattention to customer needs and focus on a vendor’s bottom line in delivering a luxury and non-essential service, isn’t smart business, or even courtesy.

Language, or cultural layers should never be a barrier to genuine welcome, knowledge of the niceties to help people know, like or trust you in an effort to deliver an experience that turns a single sale into a loyal client.

It took three times as long to get half the service I was accustomed to. Mesmerized by the marketing mish mash of it all, I stayed for the ‘full treatment’.  It is possible that my next writer’s date will be with a therapist.

Perhaps it’s best to quote Nora Ephron’s mom’s advice to her  famous writer daughter on life’s events: “It’s all grist for the mill.”

Have YOU got an experience where the marketing message and the service follow through matched? Or not?

Tell me.  Soon. Once my nails dry, I’ll have to go.

 

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Return of the X Wordsmith

May 7th, 2011

I’m back.

I was out.

While out, I played. Got lost. Rewrote my plan. Tore it up. Then I alighted at an out of town seminar I’d been waiting four months to attend.

In preparation for meeting other penguins after I hopped off my personal and private ice floe at the conference, I determined that I would not come back self identifying, primarily, as a writer.

At just shy of 30 years of earning a living and creating magic as a business writer and columnist, never mind the getting of great tickets to hot events and super seating, as well as being front and centre for product launches, service introductions, event news and being a part of bringing profiles of wonderful people with businesses great and small to the right public – I longed to answer something else, reflexively, to the question almost all North Americans pose: “What do you do?”

I am still a writer.

I will always be a writer at heart and at the keyboard, but my communication passions and skills are undergoing transformation.

Yet, today I took advantage of the writer’s date. This kind of  self care does not involve manicures, or excessive shopping. It is a time consecrated especially to allow any kind of artist to spend time alone, enjoying, refreshing, observing, thinking in a joyous, celebratory and pleasant context. In a word: recreating.

The difference in this date is that since the Olympics in Vancouver last year, I’ve kept company more and more with my own pocket camera. Since Dec 2010, I’ve seen the return of a cellphone with cam capability.  This now allows me to stray farther from my desk for longer with less guilt, and to return with more  ideas and images in hand.

Mobility has always been important to me. Who knew how many definitions it would encompass in 2011?

What have you been doing since you last visited this spot?

Please, tell. Send pictures even.. and I’ll learn how to post and perhaps edit them to best advantage.

Go ahead, feel free.

Feel communicative.

Signs You Are on the Right Roadway



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Colours Communicate the Calendar in Canada

November 15th, 2010

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Ev’rywhere you go”. This first and repeating line often sung this season teaches us a lot about how tints and hues can ‘colour’ our communication effectiveness. The tune hummed along with me today on Vancouver’s heavy, yet, not quite official winter rain.

You can choose, for various reasons, to sit out Christmas the religious holiday, the commercial event some say it has become, or you can embrace it as a festive, well lit and social respite in an otherwise cold and dark time of the year. Its omnipresent and potent colour wash makes its message and presence hard to escape.

The colours that cue the  ‘Christmas Culture” in which native and immigrant Canadians live is seen everywhere in the shop windows, advertisements and decor of our streets, workplaces and leisure spots.

The colours trigger instant understanding and very identifiable images and expectations. They can repel those for whom the holiday may be an affront at worst and at best, their perception of it as a commercial cash grab for retailers. Its presence, however, is all pervasive in traditional reds, greens and glistening silver, gold and pewter. It’s message sparkles in the multi coloured lights festooning wreathes, lamp posts and trees and throughout the landscape of our contemporary Canadian culture with all its cultural and linguistic additions. Colour cues appear on our toys, foods, clothing and gift wrap choices.

They signify both similar and wildly diverse meanings to the Asian, African, South Asian, Polynesian and South American, as well as European citizens acculturating to our expanding seasonal influence. They permeate our daily work, social. commercial and where applicable religious roles in society.

Visual communication is instant. It is effective. It is memorable and deep.

How are you affected by colour?

Does colour transport you to special memories connected to family, to foods, to holiday rituals, to vacation settings?

Does a colour or a combination inspire loyalty, instigate action,  energize you, stimulate desires, appetites or aspirations?

“See” the colour in your world and notice what it says to you and what it compels you to buy or do. What is your own reflection in the shop window expressing to the world around you?

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Write Numbers into Your Articles & Attract Attention & Action

September 24th, 2010

The radio news just told me that the country I live in ranks as the 6th most obese in the world. Yet, my current location here on the West Coast puts me squarely in the heart of a city that is statistically the least obese and most fit in the same country – Canada.

Which description has the power to inspire me to join its statistical camp? Will I do the work? Buy the product? Join the group? Give up or take up the activity to become one of the slimmer stats or shall I do all the same by selecting the actions that justify my slouch back onto the couch to join the majority potatoes in the battle fields of fatness vs. fitness.

Add a dash of stats to spice up titles, opening statements and  copy. It makes it:

Interesting

Memorable

More credible

Informative

Fun to repeat

What numbers figure in the support of your communication goal? What kind of rank or percentage or demographic or advantage can you include, authentically in your next message?

I’ll be counting on you to multiply your message advantage, as it’s statistically proven to boost your communication success by 37% ….or more.

(Afterthought: This little post should be dedicated, ironically, to a man, who while obsessed with the fit vs. fat equation, helped me integrate into Canadian working culture, as a young adult. Because just as dieting is not enough to be fit for action, neither is simply knowing the actual language of an environment.)

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