Caucasionally Meaning To People
(no longer in technical use) a member of the peoples traditionally classified as the Caucasian race, especially those peoples having light to fair skin. A white person: The chef at this awesome new Indian restaurant is actually a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Caucasian from Montana. A native of Caucasia. Someone definition, some person; somebody. THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST.
Caucasionally Meaning To People Celebrate
Caucasionally Meaning To People Hate
When I was a kid, I really wanted to learn to play the piano. Weird, huh? Unfortunately, we couldn't afford it, and the apartment was too small for one anyway. So when my youngest daughter decided she wanted to take lessons, I was thrilled. I couldn't wait for her to become good enough to enjoy the music more than she dreaded the practice. That was three years ago when she was 10. Luckily, she was persistent - and I was patient. Now when she sits down to play, I stop whatever I'm doing to listen.What Do You Mean, Dad?
The other day, she was playing something very moving, and I told her that when she plays, it makes my heart soar. She looked surprised and asked me, 'Is that a good thing or a bad thing?' I couldn't believe the question, and I quickly assured her it was very good. 'Then why does it hurt your heart?' she asked. That's when I realized she thought I said her playing made my heart 'sore.'
It was a vivid reminder of a lesson I learned years ago from my communication mentor, David Berlo - Meanings are in people, not in words or symbols. That lesson is obvious when it comes to homonyms like 'sore' and 'soar,' but it's more subtle and complex in other forms of communication, and professional communicators need to be highly sensitive to all of its nuances in everything we do.
Align People's Meanings - Inside and Out
That sensitivity is especially vital when it comes to aligning the meanings that people inside and outside the organization have for the words and symbols that organizations use to communicate. It's common practice to do focus groups with customers to test promotional messages for interpretation and impact before rolling out a big advertising campaign. However, you rarely see the same attention given to assessing how employees inside the organization interpret those promotional words and symbols. What's more, the implications are seldom considered for how employees need to perform in order to deliver on the promises being made in the marketplace.
Inside or out, with one person or many, here are some guidelines to help you avoid the 'meanings trap'. . .