If she is looking over your shoulder at a room full of potentially more interesting people, she is ill-mannered. If, however, she is not looking over your shoulder, but into a smartphone in her hand, she is not only well within modern social norms, but is also a wired, well-put-together person.
Obviously, I’m not well-put-together.
Meet me and you’ll know instantly that I am the proud possessor of antique manners, as opposed to the digital kind.
I pay attention to people while talking with them, as opposed to scanning the room for someone more interesting, i.e., useful.
I really listen to what they are saying.
I don’t text as we talk.
I don’t check email, make dinner reservations, surf, etc. during our conversation.
This is as true when I talk on the phone as when I attend a networking event or social function.
The body of brain research that proves the only thing multitasking achieves is to make you incompetent grows daily.
It’s just not how our brains were built.
My ‘old-fashion’ focus has many benefits chief of which is people remember me weeks, months and even years later when all we had was a 30 second conversation.
Think about it.
When was the last time that someone gave you their completely undivided attention for 30 seconds or longer?
As most of you know I write a series on Thursday called Leadership’s Future that looks at education, parenting, kids, Millennials, etc. In the course of my reading I see a articles that would be of interest, but I can’t fit them all in, so I thought that today I’d offer up some of the good ones that I haven’t had time to feature.
Assuming you live on this planet you’re aware that there’s a recession going on, so what’s happening in the world of youth and parents?
Do you tweet? Some college professors are finding uses for Twitter in their teaching, although enhancing spelling isn’t one of them; speaking of education, some schools are delivering sex ed via cell phone.
Multiple studies by professors at a variety of universities show that having interracial roommates reduces prejudice. Not that surprising, it’s hard to hate a real individual vs. a hypothetical stereotype.
Finally, there’s a new texting champion (control your enthusiasm) who practiced by sending 14,000 texts a month. Isn’t that thrilling?
I am revolted by the lack of respect shown by so many of our Congressional (so-called) leaders.
Warning: If you don’t like rants feel free to navigate to a different (brilliant) post on this blog, because what follows is definitely a rant—in spite of the lack of excessive profanity and personal attacks.
I prefer to read the full text reprints of items such as Obama’s State of the Union speech because of my hearing, so, thankfully, I didn’t witness the disgusting performance of our sworn ‘leaders’ who chose to text and tweet throughout Obama’s speech.
And my anger has nothing to do with Obama. I really don’t give a damn who holds that office, the office itself deserves respect, whether I voted for the holder or not (and I did). I would feel the same way if it had been Bush, Clinton or any of the other 40 warm bodies who have sat in the Oval Office.
What the hell is going on here and around the globe? The world has gone meme and it’s not just the kids.
Granted, I don’t tweet, but I’m sure there is actually useful information being passed around beyond ‘I’m going upstairs to the bathroom now’.
There doesn’t even seem to be responsibility for tweets—blame it on a staffer or pull everything.
Texas Rep. Joe Barton’s page read “Aggie basketball game is about to start on espn2 for those of you that aren’t going to bother watching pelosi smirk for the next hour,”…Minutes later, that message disappeared, replaced with the disclaimer: “Disregard that last tweet from a staffer.” That note was also deleted after several minutes.”
Silly me, I’m such an innocent I thought people actually did their own tweeting, instead of paying someone. (Note to self, talk to marketing guy about tweeting for me.)
We grouse about Gen Y being disrespectful and rude, unlike their elders. Well, it looks as if their elders are catching down.
Maybe I can hitch a ride to a galaxy far, far away.
“When I was responsible for hiring management trainees years ago, I discovered that grades and degrees and schools didn’t tell me much. What I looked for where two things. Could a prospect write? If not, there was no need to go farther. The other thing I looked for was actual work experience.”
Wally would have trouble hiring anyone these days considering the atrocious stuff written by students and grads who are so busy texting that they can’t be bothered to learn to write readable, coherent, English.
It’s a good thing that writing isn’t most managers make-or-break or offers would be few and far between—and I don’t just mean new grads.
I don’t have a great desire to be forced to decipher hip-hop, Valley Girl, Ebonics, Spanglish, Country-Western, 18-wheeler or all lower case with no punctuation in order to communicate.
None of these may matter in private life, but they don’t contribute a whole lot in the context of what it takes to make it today.
Several years ago I wrote Good writing fast—an oxymoron and last year I asked, “Are most people loosing their minds while I am losing mine? during another minor rant.
I’m not a total dinosaur, if all that’s wrong in most communications is a misplaced semi-colon or an occasional preposition at the end of a sentence who cares?
People don’t realize that, consciously or not, they’re judged by what they write, just as they are by what they wear or drive or went to school—even people whose own writing is terrible will downgrade others for the same thing.
If you can’t write and want a future take classes; if you’re people can’t write send them for training.
And if you won’t/can’t do that, there is one simple thing you can do to improve your writing.
Read. Turn off the computer and the TV; take off your iPod and turn off your phone; pick up a well-written book and READ. It doesn’t matter if it’s great literature, a biography, mystery, or hilarious chic lit.
Read every chance you get and make more chances; pay attention and you’ll be amazed at how fast your writing improves.
Entrepreneurs face difficulties that are hard for most people to imagine, let alone understand. You can find anonymous help and connections that do understand at 7 cups of tea.
Crises never end.
$10 really does make a difference and you’ll never miss it,
Obviously, I’m not well-put-together.
Assuming you live on this planet you’re aware that there’s a recession going on, so what’s happening in the world of youth and parents?
