Posts Tagged ‘Vancouver’

Human Imagination, Communication Proved Limitless in Avatar 3D

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Technology’s unprecedented quality of transmission at super speed and high resolution does not replace the human need for quality communication. Illuminated, with the release of Avatar 3D on one kind of screen, is human longing, love and a sense of higher purpose.

What else is communicated about our world in the pings and bytes?

Some attempt to represent pure human interconnection, human interaction and the intangibles of our souls – emotion, aspiration, the multitude of messages embodied just in our expressive eyes. The message carried by the movie is surely the limitless human imagination in both technology and story. Imagination in human communication has been with us for eons. It may be beamed out to and for us via pixels and prose, infinitely, if the box office success so far is any indication of the thirst, world wide, for a story well told and traveled.

From an ancient intelligence, India, comes an opinion of  a modern blogger. His full comments at: http://world-howiseeit.blogspot.com

EXCERPTED with permission:

I watched the 3D movie AVATAR. The term ‘Avatar’ is not new to the cyber generation and it is not new even to the older generations in India (In Sanskrit it means incarnation). If I need to choose one word to describe the movie, it is ‘Brilliance’.Imaginations in the human mind has no limits, the medium these imaginations could be manifested is the limitation. We are awestruck when these barriers are broken, every time. Jaws dropped when someone made a moving picture then when people could talk in the movie and when they could see it in colors then seeing their favorite cartoon character live and moving, when they could hear to stereo sound and then multiple channel surround sound…Records are set, only to be broken and our species is always in the pursuit to keep bettering things, which is what sets us apart. It is the pursuit to excel and control that makes us adventurous.

Not intending to write a long commentary about the plot, this fictional movie talks of the adventurous attitude added with greed driving humans to not respect the way of life of other alien beings in their land. As always, good wins over evil, in this case, evil being the human kinds.

The hero here is the story telling, I am amazed to see how much technology has enabled us to depict our dreams. There’s been 3-D movies earlier but here’s one I see which has not used this technique to thrill people by scaring us rather make us experience the environment. There are certain scenes where it is hard to resist putting out your hand to feel a beautiful glowing seed that descends down the holy tree. I also see that Hollywood is evolving to think beyond a limited set of sounds made by aliens or huge creatures which have been a predictable standard so far from the Dinos to Godzillas to any other kind of monsters. Here are some barking, tweeting and cawing species.

I think this ‘Avatar’ has set a record of sorts, hard to be beaten immediately but would love to see something that could better it soon, it is all about getting entertained. This movie does not have a special product to sell but like Starbucks and Virgin Atlantic has made it nearly impossible to duplicate the experience it sells on the product/service

HELENA specializes in effective business writing and conversation training for individuals and small groups who wish to improve their workplace and personal communication.

Twitter, Face Book ID is: HelenaKaufman.

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Investing in Words N’ More

Monday, June 1st, 2009

‘Where was I last week instead of at my desk blogging?

In a word, investing.

I was seduced, as I often am, by the siren call of learning. With less these days in the form of discretionary funds to invest, I chose to take an asset even more precious than money – time- and spend some of it at a four day, 8 am – 10 pm, educational event called InvestFest.

Any word that begins with IN and ends in FEST now makes me anxious. Due to my tech bugs and last week’s preventative spraying in my building for bed bugs running rampant in other suites, I summoned courage.

At each of the numerous and lengthy sessions I listened and sometimes wrote furiously. The event had all the expected motivation, inspiration, education and selling from the illuminated stage. Infotainment is descriptive word that covers such an entertaining presentation complete with lights, cameras and action.

While there, the ‘currency’ of the material and ideas I was already teaching  in my Business Writing and Communication Courses was affirmed. Only the size, mass crowd energy and the checkbooks at the ready stance of the audience differed from my own class participants.

As writers, we usually execute our daily communications in writing and speaking duties in isolation. Ideally we have control over the soundscape that surrounds us. This event featured people. Lots of them. Standing, shouting, cheering, clapping and buying. Lots of buying.

What is common to both scenarios is the care taken to present the right words. I noted the words and styles most effective in presenting products, service and ideas. What works in business plans and pitches? What will help articulate the power that might help or hinder our success over barriers?

What was true in each category of interest for personal or business success, was the absolute impact words have on us - internally and on our readers and listeners externally.

Consider your words  - your choices, combinations, sequence and the images you choose to express the elegance of your thoughts - with clarity and brevity.

Words are powerful.

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Regularity in Writing and Our Millionth Word

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Today I rolled out of bed ready to act on the advice with which I both admonish and encourage all other writers:

- Just do it

- Do it regularly

- Keep doing it

For years I have procrastinated on establishing a blog on effective writing and I’ve hesitated for all kinds of reasons to express my life long passion and contribution towards cultural communication. Why?

Indeed why after celebrating the set up of my blog with TWO entries did I suddenly feel I had to let more than a week slip by without even a peep of prose? Why did I suddenly think I needed more research on my own opinion and experience? Did I really need to consult the hasty writings of a new generation of net gurus, who are in reality, younger than the very thoughts I was harbouring?

Yes and no. Smart writers do research. They stay aware of societal activity and of communication trends. We are often more than ready – you should pardon the irony – to procrastinate, especially when it comes to our own work. But, there comes a time to move forward. Often a little faster.

Whether you write in journals, emails or for various publication sources, you’ve probably surpassed your own millionth word. You’ve met your deadlines, ultimately, the only way one can – by sitting down and writing.

Best to write regularly. Even if all you think you have are 20 uninterrupted minutes to put pen to paper, or for fingers to fly on keyboards. Imagine the cumulative results of your writing! Give yourself the gift of discipline and suppleness of mind by making writing a practice.

Follow your own rituals. I cook during projects as a brain break to process. I prep for new projects with cleaning. Perhaps I literally create space so my mind can roam around my room, unfettered, with only my file boxes to bump up against.

Speed in communication calls us today. It shouts. Technology rushes us on. Even the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) and others will be adding the English language’s millionth word, ‘they say’ on June 10, 2009.

In closing I’ll quote George Burns the famous, youthful and long lived American comedian, “I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.” George also spoke of this ritual: ‘I get up in the morning and read the obituaries. If my name isn’t there, I take two prunes and start my day.’

Go. Make friends with your communication future. Write now.

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Welcome

Friday, May 1st, 2009

The Express Lane Blog Begins

Where do you start when you write a blog?

How do you start any mode of communication?

How do any of us manage that overwhelm of both excitement and pressure to produce that accompanies new writing – be it a creative writing project or a business writing contract?

Millions of words I’ve written to represent my clients, or meet my academic demands and even before all that my training as interpreter of language and culture for my elderly immigrant parents, still do not spare me from the obelisk of all openings. Yes, that first, big, blank page.

For more than half my 30 year career as a professional writer, I started with the sizzle. The juicy stuff – hot content. The creativity and passion for writing is still with me.

What has changed is that I now try to start with structure. More and more, structure features in effective communication and writing and even speaking success for me, my students and my clients.

The concept of structure as an effective element in communication impressed me most while watching my kids learn to get their own messages across succinctly. In high school they each had an opportunity to participate in public speaking and debate training and tournaments. They were astute enough, at such a young age, to pursue developing their natural talents. Learning to think critically, to build their research into strong opinions and talking points, they were able to deliver persuasive speeches or defend their messages against challenge during debates. They won awards for their oratory skill and their debate style and substance. Their disciplined efforts are rewarded to this day with an ability to understand their audience and connect well with people in all forms of communication as they now launch their own professional careers.

I admire their tenacity and their talent and I learned many lessons while watching their meticulous preparation process and then listening to them practice.

As I mature professionally and personally, structure has taken on new significance. It now helps me even out my delivery of energy and information. It helps me be more consistent as an instructor of business writing and communication techniques. It helps preserve my energy for true and clear expression in a world where technology has connected us across so many cultures and geographies and in which we must all communicate with so much more speed.

For this blog, I have a structure. I have ideas. I invite your ideas on communication as it pertains to culture, technology and the skills we need to communicate effectively today.

I’ll start this new adventure in writing then with an old tradition – a dedication to my kids. In watching them learn and grow, I learned and grew. Now in teaching others I draw on the ways they pushed me and continue that pattern of ever expanding awareness and most of all with the help of technology, sharing.

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