Saturday, August 15, 2009

Learning in Economic Quicksand

One thing people should be concentrating on right now is their vocabulary: teach one another that when we need to know something we “aSk” rather than “aX” questions. For, misuse of your vocabulary will certainly cut you out….

Someone you know needs to know this for interview purposes, networking or on-the-job interaction, and everyday communication. Help someone know that they may be “eSpecially” fond of working in a team environment, rather than “eXpecially” (would that mean they used to be?).

Over the next couple of Blogs I’ll pinpoint some of these words which I call “SpeechTalk,” because they are words that we sometimes mispronounce or misuse in everyday conversation.

SPEECHTALK
Sample words that we sometimes mispronounce. Capital letters show syllable that creates the contrast. Words in the left hand column are proper spellings and pronunciations of each word.

ESpecially ......................... eXpecially

Essential ............................ Assential

COGnizant ......................... cogniSENT

IMpact ............................... INpact

STAtistic ............................ SAtistic

(getting ready to) .............. finna
(going to)

I’m especially excited about how my life decision will impact the people around me. It is essential that I stay cognizant of the fact that I am so career oriented that I’m a giant, not a shrimp. I’m glad I didn’t wait 7 weeks to participate in using specific words to my best advantage. Statistics show that when we can converse with all kinds of people, we move to a higher level. I’m going to make that move.

Be careful of how you say what you say
And may your consonants be your confidence

© R. King and Associates 2002

Whatever you do, remember that words are powerful…
and consonants make our words. Use yours properly and help someone SHINE.

The Master of Listening

The Master of Listening
... and Smiling