WORDS MATTER: HOW TO ADOPT MORE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE INTO YOUR COMMUNICATIONS

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


WORDS MATTER: HOW TO ADOPT MORE INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE INTO YOUR COMMUNICATIONS

By Rachel Murphy

The video capturing the violent death of George Floyd ricocheted through the public consciousness. This moment signaled a collective wake-up call to police brutality and racial injustice. The realization that dismantling a system of oppression would take widespread change has galvanized brands and institutions to reflect on their status quo. Companies from Silicon Valley to Wall Street to Main Street have come out in support of Black Lives Matter. Many have upped their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to combat systemic racism.

Words and imagery, that were once considered tenable, were the first to be examined through a new lens of justice.

Following the lead of Black activists and publications, the Associated Press (AP) changed its usage rules to capitalize the word “Black” when referring to people in a racial, ethnic, or cultural context. Meanwhile, Quaker Oats and Uncle Ben’s announced they will be retiring racist mascots. Industries, from wine to real estate, have reconsidered the use of the term “master” for its connotation to slavery. And, many tech companies have replaced the racially insensitive coding terms “master/slave” and “whitelist/blacklist.”

On their own, these adjustments are not a substitute for addressing disenfranchisement in the workplace or across the country. There is plenty of work to be done on both individual and institutional levels. Still, they are a start.

Words matter.

If they didn’t, there would be no tug of war between the phrases “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter.” Language can be powerful. But it can also be twisted to benefit one group over another and used to gloss over injustices. In that way, it can be its own system of oppression.

Adopting more inclusive language across your communications doesn’t happen by snapping your fingers. Language is always evolving. With that in mind, this article will focus less on what words are considered “right” and “wrong.” We’ll link to resources that cover word choice around race, gender, sexual orientation, and abilities at the end. Instead, we’ll walk through an ongoing process of reading, learning, and reflecting that your marketing team can adopt to identify discriminatory language.

BUT FIRST, WHAT IS INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE?

As marketers, we spend a lot of time deliberating over the words we use. It’s our job to make sure that what we write in a blog or say in a presentation is impactful, and that our words resonate with our audience. But resonance is about more than relating to the majority. We also need to ensure we don’t alienate or hurt a particular group of people. We have a responsibility to be inclusive and to understand the words we choose — their meaning and origin, and how others might interpret them.

STEP 1: CONSIDER THE IMPACT OF YOUR WORDS, NOT THE INTENT

As our team has been reading more about inclusive language, I’ve wondered where to draw the line. Are there instances where we might be overthinking? For example, we discussed and considered the origin and meaning of the word, “white paper” when drafting this piece.

When I consider advocating for or against the use of a particular word, I try to remind myself of a central philosophy of inclusivity, impact vs. intent. Meaning it’s not the intent of a word or phrase that matters, but the potential impact on the recipient. Consider this — if you were training an executive for a media briefing and they said something that could be misinterpreted, you wouldn’t think, “It’s okay the journalist will know they didn’t mean it.” You’d correct them politely so they don’t get misquoted. Similarly, when it comes to inclusive language, it’s up to us as marketers to consider how someone else, particularly someone with different experiences, might perceive the information we’re sharing. And correct those, whether on paper or in person, when a conversation is out of touch.

STEP 2: FIND REPUTABLE SOURCES TO STAY IN THE KNOW

Learning and unlearning the language we use every day is an ongoing process. Words that were ‘acceptable’ or ignored yesterday can quickly be thrust into the spotlight for the wrong reasons. It can seem overwhelming to have to identify every inimical word or phrase, especially without context or understanding. That’s why building on knowledge through reading and conversation is imperative. The more your team reads and discusses, the easier it will become to identify and stay current on language changes.


Inclusivity and Inclusive Word Choice Resources

The Conscious Style Guide

A Progressive’s Style Guide

An Incomplete Guide to Inclusive Language for Startups and Tech

Anti-Racism Daily

Disability Language Style Guide

Gender Queries

Inclusive Language Guide

Marketing and communications tip for using inclusive style guides.

3. INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE ISN’T JUST ABOUT AVOIDING WORDS THAT ARE OFFENSIVE

In your efforts to adopt more inclusive language throughout your organization, it’s important to consider not just what might be considered derogatory, but also whether your company’s communication style prevents people from understanding and therefore, participating. For example, company or team acronyms can be perplexing to anyone outside of your organization. For those who are new, company lingo can create a sense of inferiority and slow their ability to acclimate to the culture.

4. WHEN MAKING INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE UPDATES TO YOUR STYLE GUIDE, DON’T JUST CONFORM TO THE STANDARD

At INK, we subscribe to AP Style for the most part. But even the AP can sometimes fall behind when making language updates to its stylebook. Its announcement to capitalize “Black” came after two years of research as well as recent public criticism from those who were advocating for the change in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

MOVING FORWARD: THINK BEYOND WHAT PEOPLE MIGHT CONSIDER OBJECTIONABLE

Promoting inclusivity through language goes beyond simply ensuring your company avoids a PR blunder. Committing to inclusive language is a prominent reflection of your company’s culture as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s about justice for people who deserve more from our society. As your company continues its journey toward widespread inclusivity, think about how language can serve those who are marginalized.

There is no quick solution to practicing inclusivity. But we can chip away at the flawed and unjust system through our words and actions. As marketers, we have authority over the words we use. Let’s strive to use them for good.


Source:https://ink-co.com/adopting-inclusive-language-communications/

THE POWER OF A B2B BRAND PERSONALITY

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


Brand Strategy

THE POWER OF A B2B BRAND PERSONALITY

By INK Team

“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Just like people, brands with memorable personalities stick in our minds.

That’s because emotions play an important role in our ability to store and recall information. We remember the brands we like and trust, and they become our go-to when making a purchasing decision. When we start to think of brands more like people, we get a better idea of what they might say or do out in the world. Those compelling personalities enable brands to build long-lasting, trusting relationships with their customers.

But personality isn’t just for consumer brands. In fact, B2B companies, especially in the technology space, are often most in need of building an emotional connection with their audience. Think about it – data, hardware, and intangible systems are about as far from human as it gets. But even Alexa has a personality.

WHAT IS A BRAND PERSONALITY?

A brand personality is simply a set of human characteristics associated with a brand. It creates an emotional foothold that turns a product or service into something your customers can connect with — a connection that creates brand affinity and staying power.

A strong brand personality creates consistency across customer touchpoints, differentiates a company in its product category, and can even become the central driver of customer preference. But to form a lasting connection, a brand personality must be derived from deep customer understanding. It has to make both practical and emotional sense. In other words, what is the most truthful way your brand can connect with your customer?

To develop a brand personality that sticks, start with research.

STEP 1: CONDUCT COMPETITOR AND AUDIENCE RESEARCH

Know Who You’re Up Against — Understanding the Competition and Industry

It’s important to understand the personality conventions in your industry. Evaluating the brand personalities of your competitors will help determine how your brand can stand out both in the competitive landscape and in the mind of your customer. It reveals where there are opportunities or white space.

In certain categories, product offerings can be more or less the same with product-focused messages that aren’t emotionally compelling. When the benefits are similar, brand personality can be a key differentiator.

When researching competitors, ask:

What words, phrases, tone, and voice do competitors use in their messaging?

What emotions are they trying to evoke with the imagery on their website and other marketing channels?

How do they describe their company and employees? Any mention of company culture?

Do they have spokespeople? If so, what do they talk about and how do they talk about it?

How would you characterize their leadership? Are they authoritative, funny, unconventional?

What are customers saying about them online? Try G2 or Capterra as a starting point.

What do their logo, color palette, and design choices say about who they are?

Exercise

Look at your competitors’ websites, social content, and advertising — pay attention to how they portray themselves through the words and images they use. Assign three or four personality traits to each competitor that best summarize what you’ve gathered about the brand from your research.

For example, Apple uses words like “transformative,” “unprecedented,” “mind-blowing,” and “pushes boundaries,” which communicate innovative and spirited personality traits.

Know Your Role – Understanding Your Audience, Showing Your Value, Keeping Your Promise

Our interactions with and expectations of others depend on the role they play in our lives and the value their relationship provides. Think of your advisors, coworkers, and friends. Most people want their close advisors to be reliable, competent, and wise; or a friend to be warm, honest and empathetic. When someone delivers on our expectations of their role consistently, it builds trust in the relationship and affirms its value. Brands are no different.

Knowing your customers inside and out will help determine your brand’s role in their lives. Before building an effective brand personality, learn who your customers are and what they care about. Get personal. By deeply understanding their ambitions, frustrations, and outlook on life, you can see how your offering can provide true value. Go beyond what you think you know and relate to them as people.

When researching your audience, ask:

What role can you fill in your customers’ lives, and what promise can you make to them?

What are your customers’ biggest pain points?

How can you address their pain points to make their jobs easier?

What do they expect from brands in your industry?

What’s the primary want or need they’re trying to satisfy?

What kind of role do they want you to play in their lives?

What personality traits characterize your audience?

Does your brand align with who they really are? Or who they aspire to be?

Developing a brand personality based on an understanding of your customers’ needs will lead to more meaningful connections.

Exercise

Use this template to develop personas for your ideal or existing customers. Personas allow you to get the most important information about your customers all in one place, so you can craft a personality that speaks to their specific characteristics.

Think about how you might tailor your messages differently when you’re speaking to the chief technology officer (CTO) compared to an account manager. What do your customers need and want? And better yet, what is stopping them from getting that? What can your company do to provide them with a solution to overcome that obstacle and address their needs? What does your brand strive to be in the lives of your customers?

Look for areas of overlap among your personas – a strong brand personality would resonate with the ideology of both the CTO and the account manager.

STEP 2: USE A PERSONALITY FRAMEWORK

Brand personality frameworks provide an organized approach to creating brand personalities that are focused, actionable, and based on human psychology. There are two primary frameworks to choose from: The Five Dimensions of Brand Personality or the 12 Brand Archetypes.

Jennifer Aaker’s Five Dimensions of Brand Personality are easy to understand and useful when you need to quickly establish human characteristics for your brand. The 12 Brand Archetypes are a more robust approach that can also provide a foundation for storytelling. No matter how in depth you’d like to go, both frameworks serve to humanize B2B brands and connect them with their customers.

The Five Dimensions of Brand Personality

This framework takes the top personality characteristics consumers consistently associate with brands and organizes them into five distinct categories.

The five dimensions of brand personality closely mirror the Big Five personality traits of people: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. But because brands are entities, and not people, we interact with and perceive them differently:

Think about each of these categories and take a close look at the accompanying characteristics. Then ask yourself:

Which one or two of these categories best represent your brand or the brand you aspire to be?

How do you live up to these characteristics now, or how do you aspire to deliver on them in the future?

Which of these characteristics does your brand represent most truthfully?

Exercise

Based on the characteristics of each category, rank the categories from most to least relevant to your brand. Of your top two categories, consider combining characteristics to form a unique set of brand attributes.

The 12 Brand Archetypes

We’re hardwired for stories. The 12 Brand Archetypes represent the range of human desires and characters used in storytelling. The archetypes are based on Carl Jung’s theory that universal conscious and unconscious symbols are deeply ingrained in us all.

There are 12 distinct archetypes, which are divided into four groups based on their ultimate purpose. Each archetype exists to fulfill a distinct human desire. Think about what your customers are seeking from their interaction with your brand. By taking on the brand attributes of their archetype, brands portray their ability to fulfill the customer’s emotional need.

You can use your brand’s archetype to tell your brand’s story — and to help determine what your brand will say, do, and look like in its interactions with customers.

Most brands will have one core archetype that defines them. However, a single archetype may not capture all of the unique needs of your customer, or the category might be crowded with brands adopting the same archetype. By adding a mix of traits from a secondary archetype, you can satisfy the unique needs of your customer and differentiate yourself in the market.

Is your brand a guide? A caregiver? A hero? Can it provide safety? Advice? An avenue for fun or a path to freedom?

Exercise

Choose two archetypes that align with your customer’s needs. Explain how your brand is able to fulfill those needs. Consider the most essential role your brand can play in their lives, the human desire it can satisfy, or the purpose it serves.

STEP 3: TEST YOUR PERSONALITY

Testing is a surefire way to validate your decisions so you can move forward with a memorable idea that connects emotionally with your audience. Testing can also help avoid wasting time and money, and the headaches that follow if you put a brand personality out into the world that doesn’t make sense to the people who are interacting with your brand.

Conduct an online survey

An online survey allows you to target a specific audience and requires minimal effort on the respondents’ end. See what resonates with your audience by presenting different personalities through headlines, mock advertising, and mission statements.

A/B test on your website

A/B testing different personalities on your website is an effective way to see how your audience reacts in a realistic setting. You’ll be able to see which brand personality does a better job of meeting your goals by looking at metrics like how long users stay on the site and how they navigate through it.

Measure advertising campaign conversions

Use digital ads to test how different brand personalities and messaging impact audience engagement with your brand. The most compelling personality will drive more clicks and conversions.

Workshop with your team

If you’re working with a tight budget, you can still test your ideas by bringing your colleagues into the mix. Team members from different departments (e.g., sales, customer service) can advocate for the customer when considering brand personality.

Set up a workshop to discuss the role your brand plays in the lives of your customer and get feedback from the team on how the brand personality reflects who your customers are as people.

CREATING AN ICONIC STORY

You’ve done the research to understand your customer and competition. You know how your brand can provide value and the role it plays in satisfying your customers’ wants and needs. Now, it’s time to release your brand into the world.

Let your brand’s personality come through in your marketing executions and use it to guide the time, place, and manner your brand interacts with customers.

Developing your brand’s personality will drive the emotional connection that keeps you in the hearts and minds of your audience. Brands that use human-centered personality frameworks will resonate beyond the products and services they provide. They become iconic storytellers — heroes, outlaws, and explorers.



Source:https://ink-co.com/whitepaper/b2b-customer-relationship-brand-personality/#post-gated-content

EDITORIALES | ACTUALIDAD POLÍTICA-El valor de la palabra

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


EDITORIALES | ACTUALIDAD POLÍTICA

El valor de la palabra

29 de Agosto de 2020

Se espera de un primer mandatario que dé el ejemplo haciendo honor a sus dichos y siendo coherente con sus actos

Qué se espera de un presidente de la república? Que despierte confianza y previsibilidad".

Santiago Kovadloff es quien se hacía y se respondía aquella pregunta durante un programa televisivo de principios del corriente año, cuando apenas había pasado poco más de una semana desde la asunción de las nuevas autoridades de gobierno. Era lo que podría decirse una alerta temprana.

El viraje de la palabra del hoy presidente había comenzado no mucho tiempo antes: en mayo de 2019. Precisamente, el 18 de ese mes, cuando Cristina Kirchner, la autoproclamada candidata a vicepresidenta del Frente de Todos, decidió, unilateralmente y sin ruborizarse, quién la "acompañaría" en el primer lugar de la fórmula: toda una rareza que no iba a resultarle gratuita al actual jefe del Estado.

Aquella inusual nominación de un primer candidato por parte de quien lo secundaría requirió de Alberto Fernández un ejercicio de adaptación acelerada a un discurso diametralmente opuesto al que venía manteniendo respecto de su entonces inesperada mentora. Desde que pegó un portazo al gobierno de Cristina Kirchner, en 2008, no solo empezó a calificarla como instigadora del encubrimiento de los culpables de haber volado la sede de la AMIA, sino que instaba públicamente a "matar al kirchnerismo", superándolo, y recorría las calles a la par de los manifestantes que protestaban por la falsa e inconstitucional "democratización de la Justicia" que trató de imponer Cristina Kirchner con el domesticado aval de sus representantes en el Congreso.

El 18 de abril de 2013, como se ve en un video que circuló intensamente en las redes, durante una manifestación callejera contra las políticas del gobierno cristinista, Alberto Fernández decía con contundencia: "Vi mucho enojo. Es razonable la indignación de la gente. Lo que ha hecho la Presidenta con el sistema judicial es de una gravedad inconmensurable (...) Le está diciendo a esta multitud que no la escucha; que ella va a seguir gobernando para la otra mitad. Sigue dividiendo. A mí este relato me enoja mucho. Hiere mi inteligencia. Gracias a Dios que la gente reacciona. Quisiera que la gente no se olvide de todos los senadores que votaron lo que votaron, solo para no confiarles más la cosa pública".

Ya como candidato a presidente y ante la convocatoria del juez Claudio Bonadio, sostuvo respecto del memorándum de entendimiento con Irán que lo suyo había sido una mera opinión y que el acuerdo debía inscribirse como "una cuestión política no judiciable", cuando había sido él y no otro el que a cada acción de Cristina Kirchner sobre ese asunto le asociaba delitos tipificados en el Código Penal.

La misma voltereta pegó el entonces candidato durante un charla con el American Jewish Committee: "El acuerdo (con Irán), en el fondo, fue un intento de destrabar y encontrar una solución", dijo. Sin más, lo que era un delito aberrante pasaba a ser una buena intención con mal final, una expresión de deseos que no alcanzó a llegar a puerto. O a la que, en rigor, hubo que torcerle el rumbo porque el puerto de destino era vergonzoso.


Aquel hombre es el mismo que poco después del "banderazo" del 17 de este mes, en rechazo de la reforma de la Justicia que ahora él proyecta y de una nueva prolongación de la cuarentena que ahora él niega que exista, sostuvo: "No nos van a doblegar los que gritan; los que gritan suelen no tener razón". Y es el mismo que, al asumir la presidencia de la Nación, había efectuado una singular convocatoria a la ciudadanía: "Si sienten que me desvío, salgan a la calle a recordarme lo que estoy haciendo".

¿Cuál de los Fernández es el verdadero? ¿Acaso pueden serlo todos? ¿Lo es aquel que le dijo al periodista de Cadena 3 que lo entrevistaba durante la campaña electoral: "No lo voy a hacer (avanzar sobre la Justicia). Grabeló (sic). Lo va a guardar de recuerdo porque no me va a poder retrucar nada"?

¿Es el verdadero Fernández el que como profesor de Derecho, durante una clase magistral, sostenía que con aquel segundo y tercer kirchnerismo en el poder se volvía "al tiempo en el que a los jueces los elige la política"? ¿O aquel que inquiría si los jueces peronistas tendrían "que tener disciplina partidaria con los que los hicieron jueces"? ¿Será tal vez el que se preguntaba y respondía: "¿Qué le pasó a Cristina?, ¿saben qué le pasó? La que se beneficia con el crimen es Cristina?".

Decía Alberto Fernández: "Cuando fue lo del campo, Cristina sintió que había una fuerte confabulación general en su contra. De haberme quedado (en aquel gobierno) debería haber sido parte del séquito de obedientes. Para mí la política no es un ejemplo de obediencia. La que se olvidó de eso fue Cristina". Sin embargo, desde el 18 de mayo de 2019, Alberto Fernández repite: "No me van a hacer pelear con ella. Cristina y yo somos lo mismo". Un ejemplo de obediencia.

La enorme riqueza del archivo puede resultarle incómoda al Presidente; lo que no puede evitar es su existencia. Al revisarlo, se encuentran otras muchas inolvidables frases de su autoría. Por ejemplo, que "gran parte de los descalabros que vivimos en la economía son responsabilidad de Kicillof", que "el peronismo solo fue patético con Cristina" y que como presidenta dejaba "dos máculas indudables: haber hecho dictar dos leyes para protegerse personalmente de los delitos cometidos con el encubrimiento a Boudou estatizando Ciccone y con haber hecho aprobar el tratado con Irán".

¿Quién nos habló? ¿Quién nos habla?, se preguntaba Kovadloff haciendo hincapié en el "efecto devastador que la contradicción tiene en quien la escucha", cuando lamentablemente se percibe que se usa la palabra solo "como pretexto para la afirmación de la propia supremacía". A la vista de todos, esta pretende esconder en realidad una peligrosa subordinación que lo obliga permanentemente a desdecirse.


Fuente: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/editoriales/el-valor-palabra-nid2434399

EDITORIALES | ARTEBA-Una sociedad que destruye las buenas iniciativas

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


EDITORIALES | ARTEBA

Una sociedad que destruye las buenas iniciativas

29 de Agosto de 2020

Distintos medios periodísticos nos hemos hecho eco de la situación que atraviesa la Fundación arteBA, cuyos últimos dos presidentes renunciaron en un breve lapso a sus cargos para "facilitar al consejo de administración la toma de decisiones que considere más apropiada".

ArteBA es una fundación privada, sin fines de lucro, en pleno derecho de conducir sus asuntos con independencia, según su propio criterio, dentro del marco de sus estatutos y objetivos de creación, que datan de 1991.

Fueron sus fundadores un grupo de argentinos interesados en las artes plásticas, preocupados por brindar un marco adecuado, hasta entonces inexistente, dentro del cual galeristas y pintores pudieran acceder a un mercado más amplio en el que ofrecer obras de arte contemporáneo.

El éxito de la iniciativa, resultado de un encomiable y desinteresado trabajo en equipo, ha llevado a arteBA a jugar un papel sustancial en el proceso de crecimiento y desarrollo del mercado de arte contemporáneo y de la cultura del país.

Convertido en un elemento más del ecosistema cultural, la oferta plástica argentina llega a un público creciente: una gigantesca galería de arte que recibe miles de visitantes que en su mayoría no son asiduos cultores de estos paseos. Muchos marchands destacan que allí venden, durante los pocos días de la tradicional feria, más obras que durante el resto del año. No ha sido por obra de la casualidad, sino merced a criterios de selección seria y cuidadosamente aplicados, con el énfasis puesto en la profesionalización de los participantes.

Ambos factores explican, en parte, el éxito de las 28 ferias anuales llevadas a cabo y la incorporación de arteBA a un circuito internacional reconocido.

Precisamente el nivel de calidad y las exigencias de profesionalismo alimentan también críticas y objeciones, que este año han estallado con mayor virulencia y que se suman a la postergación de la feria anual por la pandemia, con los desajustes y consecuencias económicas que la difícil situación ha provocado y que impactaron también sobre la conducción de la institución. Los casi treinta años de experiencia acumulada más la convicción de artistas y galeristas y del público en general de que nuestro mercado sin arteBA sería aún más pequeño y endeble de lo que es seguramente ayudarán a encontrar el nuevo liderazgo que la fundación requiere.

La labor de quienes, desde el año de su fundación, trabajan, literalmente, por amor al arte, dedicando su tiempo y su entusiasmo, debe ser en justicia también reconocida. Resentimientos basados en prejuicios infundados o en la necesidad de teñir con colores oscuros, por razones ajenas a una evaluación racional de su valioso desempeño, conspiran contra lo que hasta ahora ha sido una historia de éxito, ejemplo de un magnífico trabajo de la sociedad civil. Será seguramente también tiempo de revisar los valores a la luz de un cambio de época que demanda legitimación y consensos para nombrar dirigentes, extremando cuidados y elevando estratégicamente los estándares institucionales.

Con su bien ganado prestigio, arteBA entrará en su tercera década de vida debiendo enfrentar nuevos desafíos para continuar corporizando el sueño de sus visionarios fundadores.


Fuente:https://www.lanacion.com.ar/editoriales/una-sociedad-destruye-buenas-iniciativas-nid2434397

Neuralink de Elon Musk: el último avance del multimillonario empresario en su plan de conectar nuestros cerebros a computadoras

The following information is used for educational purposes only.



Neuralink de Elon Musk: el último avance del multimillonario empresario en su plan de conectar nuestros cerebros a computadoras

Musk reveló ayer un avance de la compañía en su ambiciosa búsqueda por otorgar a los seres humanos super poderes Fuente: Reuters

En una presentación este viernes, el empresario desveló un significativo avance en su búsqueda por otorgar a los seres humanos "súper poderes".

29 de Agosto de 2020

¿Te imaginás poder guardar tus recuerdos en una computadora, directamente desde tu cerebro, y volverlos a ver cuando quieras? ¿O incluso "descargarlos" en otro cuerpo?

Ese es el futuro que se imagina el emprendedor multimillonario Elon Musk y que podría facilitar la tecnología que desarrolla su start-up de neurociencia, Neuralink.

Musk reveló ayer un avance de la compañía en su ambiciosa búsqueda por otorgar a los seres humanos súper poderes.

Se trata de un cerdo que ha tenido implantado un chip en su cerebro del tamaño de una moneda durante dos meses y que está conectado con una computadora.

La firma busca implantar este tipo de dispositivo en el órgano más complejo del ser humano, para ayudar a curar enfermedades como el alzhéimer o permitir que personas con enfermedades neurológicas controlen teléfonos o computadoras con la mente.

No obstante, la mayor ambición de la compañía, cofundada por Musk en 2016 y con sede en San Francisco, se centra en abrir la puerta a lo que Musk denomina "cognición súper humana".

Uno de los objetivos de la empresa es combatir algunas enfermedades neuronales Fuente: LA NACION

Las personas necesitan fundirse con la inteligencia artificial (IA), sostiene el empresario, en parte para evitar un escenario en el que la IA se convierta en algo tan poderoso que destruya a la raza humana.

La presentación

En la presentación de ayer, Musk describió el sensor de Neuralink, de aproximadamente unos 8 milímetros de diámetro (más pequeño que la yema de un dedo), como un "Fitbit en tu cráneo con pequeños cables".

El aparato desarrollado por la compañía consiste en una pequeña sonda que contiene más de 3000 electrodos conectados a hilos flexibles y más finos que un pelo humano, que pueden monitorear la actividad de 1000 neuronas cerebrales.

El empresario mostró el robot con el que la compañía introduce esos hilos en las áreas del cerebro que son responsables de las funciones motoras y sensoriales mientras el receptor está bajo anestesia local.

El emprendedor presentó lo que describió como "una demostración de tres cerdos pequeños", entre ellos, Gertrude, el animal que lleva dos meses con el chip implantado en la parte del cerebro que controla el hocico.

Musk mostró al público cómo una computadora mostraba la actividad cerebral del animal conectando con el dispositivo.

El aparato se puede retirar, precisó Musk, poniendo como ejemplo a otro cerdo, Dorothy, al que le hicieron el implante y se lo retiraron posteriormente. También señaló que habían hecho la prueba de implantar dos dispositivos en otros cerdos.

"Todos ellos están sanos, felices y sin diferencias con un cerdo normal", subrayó.

El neurólogo de la Universidad de Stanford Sergey Stavisky consideró que la firma había conseguido un "progreso significativo y admirable" desde la presentación de hace un año y evidenciaba los beneficios de tener un equipo multidisciplinar trabajando en este objetivo, informó la agencia Reuters.

Conectar el cerebro humano con una máquina es un objetivo muy ambicioso Fuente: LA NACION

En el último avance difundido, la empresa aseguró que había hecho pruebas con un mono, que había sido capaz de controlar una computadora con su cerebro.

Otros expertos ajenos a la empresa citados también alabaron los avances de Musk, si bien pidieron cautela, considerando que se necesitan estudios de mayor duración para determinar la durabilidad del aparato y sus consecuencias.

La profesora adjunta de Medicina Física y Rehabilitación de la Universidad de Pittsburgh Jennifer Collinger describió el proyecto de Musk como "una tecnología verdaderamente revolucionaria en el difícil espacio de la tecnología médica".

"Neuralink tiene suficientes recursos y, lo más crucial, un equipo de científicos, ingenieros y médicos trabajando por un objetivo común, lo que aporta [al proyecto] grandes posibilidades de éxito", consideró en conversación con BBC.

No obstante, añadió: "Incluso con estos recursos, el desarrollo de dispositivos médicos toma tiempo y la seguridad necesita ser una de las principales prioridades, por lo que sospecho que este proceso tomará más tiempo que el que se han establecido como objetivo".

De hecho, en la presentación de ayer, Musk pareció retractarse sobre los plazos de las pruebas con seres humanos, que anteriormente había dicho que comenzarían a realizarse este año.


Fuente:https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/neuralink-de-elon-musk-el-ultimo-avance-del-multimillonario-empresario-en-su-pl-nid2434994

Cómo prepararse para una reunión o clase en un idioma extranjero cuando solo se tienen conocimientos básicos,por Stella Bin

The following information is used for educational purposes only.

Cómo prepararse para una reunión o clase en un idioma extranjero cuando solo se tienen conocimientos básicos


Por Stella Bin

27 Ago 2020


¡Qué bueno encontrarnos en REAPRENDER! La pandemia nos abrió más posibilidades de acceder a capacitaciones o a reuniones laborales en otros idiomas. Pero ¿cómo podemos prepararnos para esos encuentros cuando tenemos poco conocimiento del idioma? También puso en evidencia la necesidad de aprender teniendo en cuenta las necesidades del entorno. Nieves Tapia cuenta cómo se puede trabajar esto en las escuelas.


Participar de capacitaciones o reuniones laborales en un idioma extranjero. En las últimas semanas no fueron pocos los lectores de REAPRENDER que me comentaron que estos eran desafíos que tenían por delante. Por eso, consulté a María Rosa Sallaberry, que es profesora nacional de inglés especializada en Neurolanguage Coaching® y trabajó en formación docente para la Dirección de Cultura y Educación de Provincia de Buenos Aires.

Primera recomendación. Si se puede, buscar ayuda de un profesional que guíe en la incorporación rápida de contenidos específicos. “No perder de vista que el idioma es una habilidad que se aprende usándola”, destaca María Rosa.

👉 Buscar una formación a medida. Establecer objetivos medibles a corto plazo -2 o 3 meses- tanto en los conocimientos de la lengua que se quieren adquirir como en el uso específico que se le quiere dar. Por ejemplo, “quiero mejorar el uso de los verbos para exponer mejor mis ideas sobre determinado tema de forma oral”, ilustra la docente.

👉 No perder de vista. Marca María Rosa, que “el cerebro no queda solo en eso. Una vez que maneja bien un determinado tema, el cerebro luego es capaz de trasladarlo a otras situaciones”.

👉 Crear los propios materiales. Estudiante y docente deben proponer contenidos que sean significativos para los objetivos. “No se recomienda trabajar con libros”, subraya María Rosa.

Ahora, si no se cuenta con la posibilidad de trabajar con un profesional, María Rosa recomienda usar Internet conociendo sus limitaciones:

👉 Una buena opción. Es el traductor de Google para entender lo que se lee. Pero, tener en cuenta que la traducción es básica, solo sirve para hacerse una idea sobre lo que se está hablando. No traduce bien algunos conceptos técnicos y a veces suele ser confuso el resultado.

👉 Buscar información en Internet. Sobre los contenidos que va usar en el idioma que necesite.

👉 Identificar a personas, empresas o instituciones. Si tenés una clase o reunión con una persona identificada, buscala en Internet o pedí que te envíen material sobre ella. Tratar de ver videos, escuchar audios o leer contenidos que ella haya trabajado. Y lo mismo se puede hacer con una empresa o producto.

👉 Importante. Tenemos que saber que cuanta más información tengamos de esa persona o empresa, más fácil se nos hará entender.

¿Te estás preguntando qué es un profesor especializado en Neurolanguage Coaching®? Yo me hice la misma pregunta🤷🏻‍♀️. Acá la respuesta de María Rosa: “Es un profesional que utiliza conocimientos de la neurociencia para crear una forma de aprender que es amigable para el cerebro y que respeta que cada persona aprende diferente. Además, aplica principios de coaching profesional en cuanto al proceso mismo; por ejemplo, establecer objetivos medibles, y además los estándares, ética y competencias del coaching”.


Fuente:https://www.redaccion.com.ar/como-prepararse-para-una-reunion-o-clase-en-un-idioma-extranjero-cuando-solo-se-tienen-conocimientos-basicos/

Read, Understand, and Remember! Improve your reading skills with the KWL Method

The following information is used for educational purposes only.



Read, Understand, and Remember! Improve your reading skills with the KWL Method

Apr 10, 2017

Is it difficult for you to understand or remember what you read? In this video, I will teach you an easy method that will help you become better at reading difficult material such as textbooks and journal articles. It is known as the "KWL" reading method. You will also remember more of what you read by using this method. If you plan to study at an English school, college, or university, this method will really help you. You can also use this method to help you in the IELTS and TOEFL exams.





TRANSCRIPT:

Hello. My name is Emma, and in today's video I am going to teach you how to be a better reader. So I want you to think about your life. Are there any things that are very difficult for you to read? Maybe you have to read something in English and you really don't understand what's happening in the story. Or maybe you're in university and you're taking a very hard course and you can't read the textbook because it's really difficult and you don't know what's happening. Well, if you're having difficulty reading or even if you just want to remember what you read more and be a better studier, this video is for you.

So first let's look at some things students might be reading that might be causing difficulty. Some students in their universities they have to read textbooks. If you go to university or college, or also high school, you have to do a lot of reading and you have to do a lot of complicated reading, especially for sciences, maths, history. So, this is a very good method. I'm going to teach you how to read these books better. Newspapers. Sometimes you'll be reading the newspaper and it's difficult, especially in another language. So if you're reading a newspaper and, you know, you want to be better at reading it, this video is for you. Internet sources. There's a lot of great things on the internet to read, and so this will also help you if you look reading things from the internet. Magazines.

Journals, for anyone who's a professional, whether you're a doctor, a nurse, a historian, or if you're in university or college, a lot of the times you have to read something called a journal, which is something for professionals to read about their field. So it's usually modern research. These things can be very difficult to read, so if you're reading these, this is a great technique for you. If you're doing the TOEFL or IELTS. Although I wouldn't recommend using this technique on the actual exam, I think it's great for your practice tests and I'll tell you why a bit later. So you can use this when you're practicing for the TOEFL and IELTS. And finally, if you're reading Shakespeare. When I read Shakespeare I had no idea what was going on. It was very confusing, all of the old English. I found it very difficult to read. There are also a lot of books that can be very, very hard to read. So these techniques will really work for you for any of these situations and many more.

So before I teach you about the KWL technique, I just want you to think about reading for a second. Okay? A lot of people when they pick up a book, that's all they do. They open it up and they start reading right away, and then they close the book and then a lot of the times they don't really remember anything they read or they don't understand what they read. So it's a lot of wasted time. I like to think of reading how I think of jogging or running. So if we look here, I have the word "running" or "jogging". If you like exercise, any type of exercise kind of follows this format. So, reading is a lot like running. What a good reader does is they have a warm up period. So if you think about running, before you go running you usually stretch. Maybe you'll do a little bit of movement to get your heart pumped. So you don't just start running. You do a warm up. The same is true with reading. The best reading... The best readers usually do a warm up.

For exercise, people then usually run or jog for a certain amount of time, and then afterwards they have what we call a cooldown period. So, "cooldown" is usually when somebody wants to slow their heartrate, so maybe they walk instead of run, maybe they do more stretches, but they don't just stop what they're doing. They slowly, you know, do slower activities before they stop jogging or running. So if you think about reading like exercise, you should also have a warm up, and then you read, and then the cooldown. This is the meat. This is the main idea of the KWL method, and I'm going to teach you exactly how we can do all of this when we read.



Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10auVRva1Jk

How to Create a Concept Map

The following information is used for educational purposes only.



How to Create a Concept Map


Apr 27, 2017






U of G Library


Follow these seven simple steps to create a concept map to help you study!

Transcript:

How to create a concept map.

What is a concept map?

A concept map is a visual way to organize thoughts and make connections between ideas.

How can I use a concept map?

You can use a concept map to brainstorm and organize ideas, create an outline for an assignment, or test your knowledge and review for exams.

How do I make a concept map? 
 By following these seven steps...

Step 1: Start by identifying the main topic, and brainstorm everything you know about it. Use all relevant content from lectures, texts, and other course material.

Step 2: Organize your information into main points.

Step 3: Start creating your map: Begin with your main topic, then branch out to major points and supporting details.

Step 4: Review your map and look for more connections. Use arrows, symbols, and colours to show relationships between ideas.

Step 5: Include details: definitions, equations, and diagrams are all useful.

Step 6: Analyze and improve your map. Ask yourself: How do the ideas fit together? Have you made all necessary connections? Is the map accurate, logical and detailed?

Step 7: As you learn more, update your concept map to reflect your better understanding. Try talking out loud about your concept map. 

Ask yourself: Can I describe the connections between these ideas?
Following these seven simple steps will allow you to create a concept map to help you study.

For more information, get in touch!


Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJj6DwCqSU

OPINIÓN-El asalto a la Justicia y a la prensa, por Héctor M. Guyot

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


OPINIÓN

El asalto a la Justicia y a la prensa

Héctor M. Guyot

22 de Agosto de 2020

El kirchnerismo siempre va por más. Todavía no lo aprendimos cabalmente, a pesar de que hasta aquí hemos visto demasiado. Cristina Kirchner considera que no hay ley más alta que su voluntad y necesita una Argentina convertida en lo que hoy es Santa Cruz. Ya se comporta como si el país fuera su feudo. Lo prueba el desacato del fallo que le impedía al Senado avanzar en la revisión de los traslados de los jueces Bruglia y Bertuzzi, los mismos que confirmaron el procesamiento y la prisión preventiva de la vicepresidenta en la causa de los cuadernos de las coimas. La señora no tiene paciencia para esperar el resultado de la purga judicial que está llevando a cabo. Aunque todavía no ha logrado institucionalizar su impunidad, ese gesto dice que ninguna sentencia judicial le impedirá satisfacer sus deseos ya mismo. Por si hiciera falta, la jueza desobedecida ayer dio luz verde.


Cristina Kirchner va por más porque va por todo. La colonización de una Justicia que desprecia sería un premio incompleto sin el sometimiento de la prensa. La impunidad se perfecciona con la posibilidad de ser el único que escribe la historia. El triunfo del relato y la ambición de un kirchnerismo "eterno" exigen jueces y periodistas adictos capaces de subordinar la realidad de los hechos a las órdenes de la jefa. Ese y no otro es el objetivo de la reforma judicial que tratará la semana que viene el Senado, ahora con un agregado de última hora que pone en jaque a la prensa independiente.

En virtud de esa adición, los jueces deberán denunciar ante el Consejo de la Magistratura cualquier intento de influencia en sus decisiones por parte de los "poderes mediáticos". De promulgarse, la ley daría entidad a la teoría del lawfare a la que Cristina Kirchner le atribuye sus penurias judiciales. Pero, más grave, sería la llave perfecta para poner una mordaza a la prensa. Amparándose en la ambigüedad de la ley, un juez podría considerar presión una nota editorial o de opinión y hasta una nota informativa que aborde asuntos relacionados con la causa que sigue. Con jueces adictos, la Justicia se convertiría en el ariete perfecto para acallar a la prensa.

A ocho meses de gobierno, las cartas parecen echadas. Cristina sola no podía. Alberto solo no existía. Cristina pudo con Alberto. Ahora Alberto no puede con Cristina, que se para sobre los hombros del Presidente para alcanzar el fruto rojo de la impunidad eterna mientras el peso de ese anhelo hunde al mandatario en el fango del descrédito. Con él, se embarra todo un gobierno y la mancha crece a medida que el objetivo exige sacrificios mayores. No solo de la democracia y la república, sino también de la retórica y de una imagen presidencial cada vez más magullada. Cada punto que gana Cristina Kirchner lo pierde Alberto Fernández. Y son todos para ella.

Lo que ocurrió esta semana indica que el Presidente bajó la cabeza. La imagen de la resignación se impone al recordar los calificativos que le dedicó a su socia antes de que ella lo eligiera para el cargo que ahora ocupa. Pero tampoco es seguro. Más que un hombre de convicciones, el archivo dice que es un político de memoria corta que subordina su palabra al reclamo de la coyuntura. "No nos van a doblegar. Los que gritan suelen no tener razón", dijo tras el multitudinario banderazo del lunes. La primera persona del plural remite a una confesión hecha en la efervescencia del triunfo electoral: "Cristina y yo somos lo mismo". Dejemos a Freud lo que es de Freud y convengamos que aquí los hechos no lo desmienten: los dos quieren lo mismo y están dispuestos a conseguirlo. Como sea.

Así, el Presidente desoye el clamor de una parte importante de la sociedad y se sube al "vamos por todo" que impulsa la vicepresidenta desde el Senado. Entre el diálogo y la grieta, extremos en los que en apariencia oscilaba, optó por esta última, pues en la estrategia oficial todos aquellos que se oponen a la hegemonía kirchnerista y defienden la división de poderes y la república pasan a ser "odiadores" que le dan la espalda al pueblo y gritan sin razón.

La marcha del lunes marca un antes y un después. El Gobierno intentó socavarla y apeló al miedo, agitando el fantasma de un contagio indiscriminado. Además, le cargó la responsabilidad por un eventual colapso del sistema sanitario. La acusación responde más bien a un mecanismo de proyección. En verdad, la razón de que hubiera gente protestando en las calles (con barbijo y distanciamiento) hay que buscarla en el Gobierno, único responsable del clima de tensión que envuelve al país: si el operativo impunidad no estuviera avanzando como lo está haciendo, la gente no saldría a mostrar su indignación. Porque ese fue el motivo casi excluyente del banderazo. Ahora que el "vamos por todo" es más ostensible, con un gobierno radicalizado en sus objetivos, todo indica que vienen semanas difíciles. Y no a causa de la pandemia, que el Gobierno ha relegado a segundo plano por motivos inconfesables pero evidentes.


Fuente:https://www.lanacion.com.ar/opinion/el-asalto-justicia-prensa-nid2427718

EDITORIALES | SOLIDARIOS-Cáritas: contagiar solidaridad

The following information is used for educational purposes only.



EDITORIALES | SOLIDARIOS

Cáritas: contagiar solidaridad

Contribuir con las generosas acciones de Cáritas es ayudar a quienes más lo necesitan


22 de Agosto de 2020

Desde el comienzo de la cuarentena, Cáritas ha acompañado a más de 2.200.000 personas de comunidades de todo el país con kits sanitarios y alimentos. La tarea, que comienza a nivel parroquial, se extiende luego al plano diocesano y nacional a través de una red de instituciones y organismos claves que permiten llegar a la mayor cantidad posible de ciudadanos que no pueden satisfacer sus necesidades más básicas.

La ya escandalosa pobreza se vio agravada por el aislamiento social impuesto por la pandemia. Sin gas, sin agua, sin cloacas, en condiciones de hacinamiento o sin techo, muchas familias debieron enfrentar el virus. A ellas hay que sumar a quienes perdieron sus redes de contención en las calles cuando los comercios cerraron y los peatones dejaron de transitar.

Falta de alimento y de abrigo, escasez de leña, caída drástica del trabajo en torno al turismo, las realidades de las Cáritas diocesanas son muy variadas y campañas como Afrazarte proponen abrigar a quienes viven en regiones donde el frío golpea fuerte. Tampoco se descuida la importancia de la prevención frente al Covid-19 y se distribuyen folletos, además de colaborar en la confección de barbijos y camisolines para quienes los requieren.

 Juan Pablo Gasme, coordinador de Desarrollo Institucional de Cáritas Argentina, describió una situación que se extiende por fuera de los límites conocidos: "La compleja realidad económica de nuestro país comenzó a escalar a sectores que nunca antes habían requerido asistencia. Hoy estamos ante una nueva realidad, que implica el empobrecimiento de familias trabajadoras que, por primera vez en la vida, deben salir a pedir ayuda". Algo similar describíamos días pasados en estas columnas al referirnos a la labor de Seamos Uno.

No basta con el esfuerzo generoso que hasta acá nuestra sociedad desplegó solidariamente junto a una institución tan seria, comprometida y transparente como Cáritas. Hoy necesitamos redoblar las acciones. Sumar más recursos. Convocar a más voluntarios. El papa Francisco habla de la importancia de remar juntos porque estamos juntos en la misma barca, frágiles y desorientados.

La labor de Cáritas hace foco sobre tres ejes estratégicos: el alimentario, el sanitario y el de ingresos familiares, este último dirigido a facilitar el acceso a la ayuda estatal y a reactivar actividades laborales. Imaginemos el ejército de buenas voluntades que se requiere movilizar en dirección a satisfacer todas estas enormes demandas que hoy se multiplican.


En el área metropolitana de Buenos Aires, Cáritas es uno de los brazos de la iniciativa Seamos Uno y articula también acciones con organismos del gobierno de la ciudad, abriendo comedores en numerosas parroquias que debieron reforzar la atención, o entregando también ropa o artículos de primera necesidad. Aún ante una acuciante realidad como la que plantea la pandemia, Cáritas sostiene su incansable y variada labor habitual y la refuerza.

Es necesario que no seamos solo observadores y que abracemos a los que más sufren ayudando a quienes ponen el cuerpo. Sumemos nuestra colaboración de alguna forma para quienes tanta ayuda precisan.


Fuente:https://www.lanacion.com.ar/editoriales/caritas-contagiar-solidaridad-nid2427874

EDITORIALES | REFORMA JUDICIAL-El asalto al Poder Judicial

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


EDITORIALES | REFORMA JUDICIAL

El asalto al Poder Judicial

22 de Agosto de 2020

La cláusula Parrilli, introducida en el dictamen del proyecto de reforma de la Justicia, solo apunta a acallar voces y limitar el debate democrático

La reforma judicial que se dispone a aprobar el Senado de la Nación no es tal, sino principalmente un aumento del número de juzgados para llenar con gente propia. Cambiará los repartos de poder, pero no mejorará nada de lo que reclaman los ciudadanos.

El insólito agregado al proyecto oficial de una cláusula que, pergeñada por la vicepresidenta Cristina Kirchner y el senador Oscar Parrilli, obliga a los jueces a denunciar ante el Consejo de la Magistratura cualquier intento de presión, incluyendo el de "los poderes mediáticos", resulta a todas luces descabellado. Se trata de una determinación que solo puede interpretarse como un intento de acallar voces y limitar el debate democrático.

Aunque uno admitiera que el legislador no debe limitarse a establecer cuándo un juez debe excusarse, sino que también debe regular la disciplina del Poder Judicial, no parece muy atinado obligar a los jueces a que les cuenten sus problemas a los políticos que dominan el Consejo de la Magistratura, un caballo de Troya de la política que interfiere constantemente, no solo a la hora de los nombramientos, en la tarea del Poder Judicial. De prosperar la cláusula Parrilli, los jueces deberían reportar las presiones al organismo que se ocupa, precisamente, de presionarlos a ellos todo el tiempo.

Más allá de que no faltará quien confunda presión con opinión en un país que ha prohibido constitucionalmente la censura y donde la libertad de expresión es un derecho esencial, lo llamativo es escandalizarse porque un juez reciba presiones. Su trabajo consiste, precisamente, en resolver causas y resistir presiones.

El problema pasa, entonces, por seleccionar y designar jueces dispuestos a aplicar el derecho sin prestar atención a lo que digan medios de comunicación, encuestas o dirigentes políticos. También, por hacerse cargo políticamente de las malas elecciones. A juzgar por los resultados, probablemente la elección de los jueces sea la tarea que los senadores hacen más irresponsablemente y la más delicada de todas las que tienen entre manos. Ninguna institución es mejor que las personas que la hacen funcionar.


Fuente:https://www.lanacion.com.ar/editoriales/el-asalto-al-poder-judicial-nid2427884

TED TALKS-Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better

The following information is used for educational purposes only.


TEDGlobal 2011

Julian Treasure: 5 ways to listen better


In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, "We are losing our listening." In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening -- to other people and the world around you.



ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Julian Treasure · Sound consultant
Julian Treasure studies sound and advises businesses on how best to use it.

Transcript:


We are losing our listening. We spend roughly 60 percent of our communication time listening, but we're not very good at it. We retain just 25 percent of what we hear. Now -- not you, not this talk, but that is generally true.

Let's define listening as making meaning from sound. It's a mental process, and it's a process of extraction.
We use some pretty cool techniques to do this. One of them is pattern recognition. (Crowd noises) So in a cocktail party like this, if I say, "David, Sara, pay attention" -- some of you just sat up. We recognize patterns to distinguish noise from signal, and especially our name. Differencing is another technique we use. If I left this pink noise on for more than a couple of minutes, (Pink noise) you would literally cease to hear it. We listen to differences; we discount sounds that remain the same.

And then there is a whole range of filters. These filters take us from all sound down to what we pay attention to. Most people are entirely unconscious of these filters. But they actually create our reality in a way, because they tell us what we're paying attention to right now. I'll give you one example of that. Intention is very important in sound, in listening. When I married my wife, I promised her I would listen to her every day as if for the first time. Now that's something I fall short of on a daily basis.
But it's a great intention to have in a relationship.

But that's not all. Sound places us in space and in time. If you close your eyes right now in this room, you're aware of the size of the room from the reverberation and the bouncing of the sound off the surfaces; you're aware of how many people are around you, because of the micro-noises you're receiving. And sound places us in time as well, because sound always has time embedded in it. In fact, I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future. So, "Sonority is time and meaning" -- a great quote.

I said at the beginning, we're losing our listening. Why did I say that? Well, there are a lot of reasons for this. First of all, we invented ways of recording -- first writing, then audio recording and now video recording as well. The premium on accurate and careful listening has simply disappeared. Secondly, the world is now so noisy, (Noise) with this cacophony going on visually and auditorily, it's just hard to listen; it's tiring to listen. Many people take refuge in headphones, but they turn big, public spaces like this, shared soundscapes, into millions of tiny, little personal sound bubbles. In this scenario, nobody's listening to anybody.

We're becoming impatient. We don't want oratory anymore; we want sound bites. And the art of conversation is being replaced -- dangerously, I think -- by personal broadcasting. I don't know how much listening there is in this conversation, which is sadly very common, especially in the UK. We're becoming desensitized. Our media have to scream at us with these kinds of headlines in order to get our attention. And that means it's harder for us to pay attention to the quiet, the subtle, the understated.

This is a serious problem that we're losing our listening. This is not trivial, because listening is our access to understanding. Conscious listening always creates understanding, and only without conscious listening can these things happen. A world where we don't listen to each other at all is a very scary place indeed. So I'd like to share with you five simple exercises, tools you can take away with you, to improve your own conscious listening. Would you like that?

Audience: Yes!

Good. The first one is silence. Just three minutes a day of silence is a wonderful exercise to reset your ears and to recalibrate, so that you can hear the quiet again. If you can't get absolute silence, go for quiet, that's absolutely fine.

Second, I call this "the mixer." (Noise) So even if you're in a noisy environment like this -- and we all spend a lot of time in places like this -- listen in the coffee bar to how many channels of sound can I hear? How many individual channels in that mix am I listening to? You can do it in a beautiful place as well, like in a lake. How many birds am I hearing? Where are they? Where are those ripples? It's a great exercise for improving the quality of your listening.
Third, this exercise I call "savoring," and this is a beautiful exercise. It's about enjoying mundane sounds. This, for example, is my tumble dryer.

(Dryer)

It's a waltz -- one, two, three; one, two, three; one, two, three. I love it! Or just try this one on for size.

(Coffee grinder)

Wow! So, mundane sounds can be really interesting -- if you pay attention. I call that the "hidden choir" -- it's around us all the time.
The next exercise is probably the most important of all of these, if you just take one thing away. This is listening positions -- the idea that you can move your listening position to what's appropriate to what you're listening to. This is playing with those filters. Remember I gave you those filters? It's starting to play with them as levers, to get conscious about them and to move to different places. These are just some of the listening positions, or scales of listening positions, that you can use. There are many. Have fun with that. It's very exciting.

And finally, an acronym. You can use this in listening, in communication. If you're in any one of those roles -- and I think that probably is everybody who's listening to this talk -- the acronym is RASA, which is the Sanskrit word for "juice" or "essence." And RASA stands for "Receive," which means pay attention to the person; "Appreciate," making little noises like "hmm," "oh," "OK"; "Summarize" -- the word "so" is very important in communication; and "Ask," ask questions afterwards.

Now sound is my passion, it's my life. I wrote a whole book about it. So I live to listen. That's too much to ask for most people. But I believe that every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully -- connected in space and in time to the physical world around us, connected in understanding to each other, not to mention spiritually connected, because every spiritual path I know of has listening and contemplation at its heart.

That's why we need to teach listening in our schools as a skill. Why is it not taught? It's crazy. And if we can teach listening in our schools, we can take our listening off that slippery slope to that dangerous, scary world that I talked about, and move it to a place where everybody is consciously listening all the time, or at least capable of doing it.

Now, I don't know how to do that, but this is TED, and I think the TED community is capable of anything. So I invite you to connect with me, connect with each other, take this mission out. And let's get listening taught in schools, and transform the world in one generation to a conscious, listening world -- a world of connection, a world of understanding and a world of peace.Thank you for listening to me today.


Source:www.ted.com

TED Talks-Celeste Headleee "10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation"

The following information is used for educational purposes only.



TEDxCreativeCoast | May 2015


Celeste Headleee "10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation"


When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations -- and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. "Go out, talk to people, listen to people," she says. "And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed."


ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Celeste Headlee · Writer and radio host
Celeste Headlee's years of interview experience give her a unique perspective on what makes for a good conversation.

Transcript:

All right, I want to see a show of hands: how many of you have unfriended someone on Facebook because they said something offensive about politics or religion, childcare, food? And how many of you know at least one person that you avoid because you just don't want to talk to them? You know, it used to be that in order to have a polite conversation, we just had to follow the advice of Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady": Stick to the weather and your health. But these days, with climate change and anti-vaxxing, those subjects -- are not safe either. So this world that we live in, this world in which every conversation has the potential to devolve into an argument, where our politicians can't speak to one another and where even the most trivial of issues have someone fighting both passionately for it and against it, it's not normal. Pew Research did a study of 10,000 American adults, and they found that at this moment, we are more polarized, we are more divided, than we ever have been in history.

 We're less likely to compromise, which means we're not listening to each other. And we make decisions about where to live, who to marry and even who our friends are going to be, based on what we already believe. Again, that means we're not listening to each other. A conversation requires a balance between talking and listening, and somewhere along the way, we lost that balance.

Now, part of that is due to technology. The smartphones that you all either have in your hands or close enough that you could grab them really quickly. According to Pew Research, about a third of American teenagers send more than a hundred texts a day. And many of them, almost most of them, are more likely to text their friends than they are to talk to them face to face. There's this great piece in The Atlantic. It was written by a high school teacher named Paul Barnwell. And he gave his kids a communication project. He wanted to teach them how to speak on a specific subject without using notes. And he said this: "I came to realize..." "I came to realize that conversational competence might be the single most overlooked skill we fail to teach. Kids spend hours each day engaging with ideas and each other through screens, but rarely do they have an opportunity to hone their interpersonal communications skills. It might sound like a funny question, but we have to ask ourselves: 

Is there any 21st-century skill more important than being able to sustain coherent, confident conversation?" Now, I make my living talking to people: Nobel Prize winners, truck drivers, billionaires, kindergarten teachers, heads of state, plumbers. I talk to people that I like. I talk to people that I don't like. I talk to some people that I disagree with deeply on a personal level. But I still have a great conversation with them. So I'd like to spend the next 10 minutes or so teaching you how to talk and how to listen.

Many of you have already heard a lot of advice on this, things like look the person in the eye, think of interesting topics to discuss in advance, look, nod and smile to show that you're paying attention, repeat back what you just heard or summarize it.

So I want you to forget all of that. It is crap. There is no reason to learn how to show you're paying attention if you are in fact paying attention. Now, I actually use the exact same skills as a professional interviewer that I do in regular life. So, I'm going to teach you how to interview people, and that's actually going to help you learn how to be better conversationalists. Learn to have a conversation without wasting your time, without getting bored, and, please God, without offending anybody.

We've all had really great conversations. We've had them before. We know what it's like. The kind of conversation where you walk away feeling engaged and inspired, or where you feel like you've made a real connection or you've been perfectly understood. There is no reason why most of your interactions can't be like that. So I have 10 basic rules. I'm going to walk you through all of them, but honestly, if you just choose one of them and master it, you'll already enjoy better conversations.

 Number one: Don't multitask. And I don't mean just set down your cell phone or your tablet or your car keys or whatever is in your hand. I mean, be present. Be in that moment. Don't think about your argument you had with your boss. Don't think about what you're going to have for dinner. If you want to get out of the conversation, get out of the conversation, but don't be half in it and half out of it. 

Number two: Don't pontificate. If you want to state your opinion without any opportunity for response or argument or pushback or growth, write a blog. Now, there's a really good reason why I don't allow pundits on my show: Because they're really boring. If they're conservative, they're going to hate Obama and food stamps and abortion. If they're liberal, they're going to hate big banks and oil corporations and Dick Cheney. Totally predictable. And you don't want to be like that. You need to enter every conversation assuming that you have something to learn. The famed therapist M. Scott Peck said that true listening requires a setting aside of oneself. And sometimes that means setting aside your personal opinion. He said that sensing this acceptance, the speaker will become less and less vulnerable and more and more likely to open up the inner recesses of his or her mind to the listener. Again, assume that you have something to learn.

Bill Nye: "Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don't." I put it this way: Everybody is an expert in something.

Number three: Use open-ended questions. In this case, take a cue from journalists. Start your questions with who, what, when, where, why or how. If you put in a complicated question, you're going to get a simple answer out. If I ask you, "Were you terrified?" you're going to respond to the most powerful word in that sentence, which is "terrified," and the answer is "Yes, I was" or "No, I wasn't." "Were you angry?" "Yes, I was very angry." Let them describe it. They're the ones that know. Try asking them things like, "What was that like?" "How did that feel?" Because then they might have to stop for a moment and think about it, and you're going to get a much more interesting response.

Number four: Go with the flow. That means thoughts will come into your mind and you need to let them go out of your mind. We've heard interviews often in which a guest is talking for several minutes and then the host comes back in and asks a question which seems like it comes out of nowhere, or it's already been answered. That means the host probably stopped listening two minutes ago because he thought of this really clever question, and he was just bound and determined to say that. And we do the exact same thing. We're sitting there having a conversation with someone, and then we remember that time that we met Hugh Jackman in a coffee shop.
And we stop listening. Stories and ideas are going to come to you. You need to let them come and let them go.

Number five: If you don't know, say that you don't know. Now, people on the radio, especially on NPR, are much more aware that they're going on the record, and so they're more careful about what they claim to be an expert in and what they claim to know for sure. Do that. Err on the side of caution. Talk should not be cheap.

Number six: Don't equate your experience with theirs. If they're talking about having lost a family member, don't start talking about the time you lost a family member. If they're talking about the trouble they're having at work, don't tell them about how much you hate your job. It's not the same. It is never the same. All experiences are individual. And, more importantly, it is not about you. You don't need to take that moment to prove how amazing you are or how much you've suffered. Somebody asked Stephen Hawking once what his IQ was, and he said, "I have no idea. People who brag about their IQs are losers."
Conversations are not a promotional opportunity.

Number seven: Try not to repeat yourself. It's condescending, and it's really boring, and we tend to do it a lot. Especially in work conversations or in conversations with our kids, we have a point to make, so we just keep rephrasing it over and over. Don't do that.

Number eight: Stay out of the weeds. Frankly, people don't care about the years, the names, the dates, all those details that you're struggling to come up with in your mind. They don't care. What they care about is you. They care about what you're like, what you have in common. So forget the details. Leave them out.

Number nine: This is not the last one, but it is the most important one. Listen. I cannot tell you how many really important people have said that listening is perhaps the most, the number one most important skill that you could develop. Buddha said, and I'm paraphrasing, "If your mouth is open, you're not learning." And Calvin Coolidge said, "No man ever listened his way out of a job."
Why do we not listen to each other? Number one, we'd rather talk. When I'm talking, I'm in control. I don't have to hear anything I'm not interested in. I'm the center of attention. I can bolster my own identity. But there's another reason: We get distracted. The average person talks at about 225 word per minute, but we can listen at up to 500 words per minute. So our minds are filling in those other 275 words. And look, I know, it takes effort and energy to actually pay attention to someone, but if you can't do that, you're not in a conversation. You're just two people shouting out barely related sentences in the same place.

You have to listen to one another. Stephen Covey said it very beautifully. He said, "Most of us don't listen with the intent to understand. We listen with the intent to reply."

One more rule, number 10, and it's this one: Be brief.
[A good conversation is like a miniskirt; short enough to retain interest, but long enough to cover the subject. -- My Sister]
All of this boils down to the same basic concept, and it is this one: 

Be interested in other people.

You know, I grew up with a very famous grandfather, and there was kind of a ritual in my home. People would come over to talk to my grandparents, and after they would leave, my mother would come over to us, and she'd say, "Do you know who that was? She was the runner-up to Miss America. He was the mayor of Sacramento. She won a Pulitzer Prize. He's a Russian ballet dancer." And I kind of grew up assuming everyone has some hidden, amazing thing about them. And honestly, I think it's what makes me a better host. I keep my mouth shut as often as I possibly can, I keep my mind open, and I'm always prepared to be amazed, and I'm never disappointed. You do the same thing. Go out, talk to people, listen to people, and, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed. Thanks.


Source:www.ted.com