Baby Got 'Back'? Back Not Required

I conniption-fit cringed when I read this sentence in a major newspaper admonishing a NFL player’s performance: ‘(Jacoby) Jones seemed to revert back last season…’ Defined by Merriam Webster, the verb ‘revert’ means "to come or go back (as to a former condition, period or subject)." Thus, the attachment of ‘back’ to revert is redundant and wasteful like a discarded crab cake sandwich for which you just forked over $18.00.     

If this example registers a mild grammatical error, consider another violation frequently peppered in workplace emails: Although ‘Read receipts’ serves a limited acknowledgement function, I take offense to a writer’s ‘respond back’ directive. Are you kidding me, since ‘respond’ suggests a reply should be returned?! In this instance, ‘please respond’ is sufficient.  

And if that’s not illustrative enough of a communication F-game, check this out: A prospective candidate casually mentioned that she’d recently ‘relocated back’ to Texas during an interview. Since command of the English language is my professional expectation, it would’ve been more palatable had she said she’d ‘returned to Texas’ instead of ‘relocated back.’ After all, the prefix ‘re’ is synonymous with the original place.

The more back baby has, the better, some say. This preference rings a lyrical bell for another Kanye West ode to Kim Kardashian, his current flavorite who is packing plenty ‘back.’ For those unhip, ‘back’ is equivalent to ‘junk in the trunk’ or a plump derriere.  

Getting back in the language saddle requires language liposuction and although throngs may find ‘back’ attractive, the word has no rightful place in the examples above.   

Researchers Embark on a Quest for Cool's Meaning

When I heard that a University of Rochester psychologist was heading a team of researchers tasked with exploring what cool means, some breezy cats out of the Bay area immediately appeared in a musical flashback. Right on if you are a true R&B aficionado who guessed Tower of Power. Back in the day, I had the in-person pleasure of hearing frontman Lenny Williams blast the lyrics “What is Hip?” over a powerful horn section. A concert of epic proportions, hip permeated each and every note the vocalist sang and musicians played.

Of course, with the reference to ‘hip,’ Williams wasn’t inquiring about a body part but more about a state of mind. From where I come, hip and cool have always shared that unique commonality. Like everything else, language evolves over time to take on different meanings but what remains unchanged is my personal popular culture opinion: If one must ask, then one truly doesn’t know.   

A Communications Strategy With Moves Like Bieber

Contrary to Billboard’s recent cover of Justin Beiber plastered alongside Usher under the “Top of Their Game” proclamation, I remain unmoved in my anti-fandom. Yet, with 20K+ followers hooked on his Twitter line and through the roof record sales, the Bieb deserves an encore for masterfully playing to his audience. So what’s a pop phenom who places a premium on relationship-building got to do with communication? Everything.

Several days ago, I suffered two hellacious customer service experiences consecutively. UGH! One involved a nail shop technician who handily dismissed my mild complaints about her tardiness to the appointment party. The other issue, provoked by a local plumbing company’s three-hour missed commitment, continued the dissatisfaction frenzy. Their rallying cry happens to be ‘service is more than a courtesy, it’s a commitment.’ Really?

Pace/Lead is a communications strategy designed to implant positive reinforcement or overcome objections through customer alignment. The lead may be conveyed in the form of a question, opinion or statement while the pace portion cements alignment with the customer’s concerns or interests. Here’s how the Pace/Lead strategy could’ve been utilized in both situations as a disgruntlement diffuser:

PACE: Your disappointment is understandable since I, too, expect timeliness when I set a service appointment.  

LEAD:  It’s very unfortunate when mechanical failure occurs.  

PACE: If I were you, I’d be upset too because your weekend schedule has been unexpectedly disrupted by our late arrival.     

The faulty faucet’s restoration to its drip-free condition before 10pm and the plumbing company’s $75 discount scored minor victory for me.    

Although simplistic, the Pace/Lead technique deposits a positive emotional effect which yields a relationship-building bonus. Not merely limited to sealing the sale, this A-game communications strategy also works wonders in curbing personal conflict. Try it and you may like it just as much as boy-crazed adolescent girls do Justin Beiber.   

     

The Ins and Outs of Resume Swag

If you’re a manager, chances are, stacks of resumes have frequently infiltrated your pristine desk, signaling hiring time. Unarguably, weeding through throngs of initial candidate introductions just to land an ideal few is a chore most abhor. Sure, it’s daunting, but also a task I’ve had responsibility for tackling.  

When you think about it, everything changes. Social Media’s surge deserves mad props for propelling language and social mores to another level. So, why should resumes be immune from upgrade? Based on employment solicitations I’m periodically required to review, an outdated presentation format can crush a job seeker’s candidacy.

Whether you’re an out of touch hiring manager or anxious job seeker, take a look at the ins and outs of planting resume swag:   

1. Contact Info

IN: A professional email address and mobile phone digits

OUT:  Inclusion of physical address and business inappropriate email address (ex: baller100@hotmail.com)

 2. Job Description

IN: Achievement-driven content

OUT:  Task-focused content

3. Professional Experience

IN:  Limit to last 10 years of employment

OUT: Career history in its entirety, including first job fresh out of high school or college     

4. References

IN: Exclude from contents

OUT: “References Provided Upon Request.”

5. Length

IN: Single-page resume format is ideal with a 1 ½ page maximum

OUT: Excessive if it exceeds the preferred 1 ½ page limit

6. Volunteerism or Hobbies?

IN: Volunteerism is a resume bonus because it demonstrates a commitment to service.

OUT: Hobbies are irrelevant except when commonality with the hiring manager is struck.

 7. Cover Letter

IN: Inclusion

OUT: Exclusion

8. Jargon

IN: Avoid when not applicable to the position sought; include if it demonstrates the required industry command

OUT: Academia or technical language

9. Phrasing

IN: Exceptional communication skills demonstrated in public speaking and marketing collateral mastery. 

OUT: Good communication, both written and verbal, is too generic.

10. Unique Sales Proposition

IN: USP inclusion lends competitive distinction or why you’re best-suited for the position over your competition

OUT: USP absence defeats the sales purpose.

11. Social Media

IN: Inclusion recommended ONLY if representative of portfolio samples  

OUT: Link listing to showcase tech savvy  

What hasn’t changed is the fact that the resume remains a job seeker’s sales tool. Although incorporating the informational nuggets above may increase resume success, it’s advisable to consult a writing professional who is positioned by craft to brand you best. 

An Apology to Loved Ones Who Defied 'No Outrage' Day

Note: In a NYT Op-Ed last week, Bill Maher called for a ‘National Day of No Outrage' on March 25th. Ignoring Maher’s unapologetic plea to personal outrage, this post shines a humorous light on one of the biggest behavioral barriers facing communications. 
Dear Family and Friends,

Dogs are wisely observant, so I’m sure my beloved Weimeraner has noted the battles lost when attempts to divide my attention via his nudging paw have failed. Inciting only minimal cause for pause initially, the situation imploded when you guys hitched a bandwagon ride.     

Remember the Verizon commercial spotlighting the nerdy male who mocked the cellphone competition in “Can you hear me now?” repetition? Well, of equal annoyance for a multi-tasker like me is the question, ‘Are you listening?’   

Since falling for my iPhone 4S, you’ve expressed outrage over diluted communication. Not to dispute Mehrabian’s theory which segments communication into 55% body language, 38% voice tone and only 7% verbal, I suppose the messenger-tilted scale doesn’t absolve the receiver’s accountability. Should I have begged forgiveness for having denied any of you an uncluttered receptacle for messaging? Ok, my bad.          

Even the excuse of a misplaced summons to communications court, brilliant or so I thought, couldn’t crumble your cookies of presumed guilt. Yet, far from the simplicity of dropping mail off at a postal box, increased competition for attention IS disrupting your message’s delivery. Are you happy now with the admission?    

Pardon me if this cuts like a knife, but updating my FB status, joining the Twitter rage of the day and playing on Pinterest held more promise than the blabbering voices in my ear. And even in the off moment when no thumbing a text or uploading vacation pics took place, last night’s Patron-soaked celebrity event or upcoming Saks sale for which I’m ‘App Happy’ added ample distraction from Saturday’s boring banter. Hopefully, that’s all behind us now.

Awash in a new day, I’m convinced my recent medical diagnosis, ADDT, i.e., “Attention Deficit Disorder (due to) Technology, lines a healing pathway. So, with the offering of the truth and nothing but, can you finally see fit to forgive me?

S.         

Freelancer Warning: Before You Say Yes to the Project

During a recent gabfest with a graphics Goddess, the subject of an empty creative calendar cropped up. It’s not the first and it won’t be the last time I’ll hear a former solopreneur attribute the retirement of the boss badge to administrative burnout. Let’s face it, one who possesses a surplus of talent doesn’t automatically come equipped with the finesse of driving value and dealing with difficult clients. I mean, what freelancer hasn’t experienced the client who wants what they want when they want it but continuously balks at every turn?!

So, before you say yes to the project, ask yourself these questions to discern whether the project strikes a match:  

1.      Does the project ignite your fire? 

2.      Is the communication pipeline open?

3.      Is your communication style compatible with the client’s?    

4.      Is the client equally vested in the project’s success?

5.      How responsive has the client been to your requests?   

6.      Has the client raised numerous objections during preliminary discussions that you’ve failed to overcome?

7.      Can the work be accomplished within the expected timeframe?

8.      What is the potential for future work and/or referrals?

9.      How well does the project align with your previous experiences or capabilities?

10.   Does the client recognize your value?

11.   Do you have significant resources to execute the project?

12.   Is the budget sufficient?

Though experts disagree, the economy continues to stagger. Other than the 1%, who doesn’t need money to register a plus in the profit column? Should your responses yield more negatives than positives to the questions above, it could very well be that the project under consideration may not be for you. Furthermore, if you’ve made your best attempt to mediate some of the challenges to no avail, bypass this one. Despite the pass on income, no work is ever worth the loss of sanity.     

          

STOP: No Textese, Please!

The text message “JW, WAYD?” from a recent college graduate sent me scrambling for translation. Sure, I text, but it’s not life absorbing like it is for perpetually thumbing teens and young adults. After all, to hit communication bullseye, the messenger must be understood.

Does the limited acceptance of the acronym for “Just wondering, what are you doing?” signal an unconscious aim for communication’s abyss? Not necessarily, according to the Text4Science project brains who shrug shortcut laziness for creativity and imagination in language use.

As a writer, I’m all for giving creative props, yet, I’m unconvinced that texting will drive the literary skills development as researchers at the University of Tasmania in Australia proclaim. Although science may lend credence to texting as a learning tool, we can’t feign ignorance to the probability of the student’s inability to differentiate when usage is appropriate. Most teens and young adults just aren’t that savvy such that job applicants and employees of the youthful variety have been known to sprinkle cover letters and professional emails with textese. 

Seemingly, the message that there is a time and place for everything has been lost on this Anything Goes Generation. With the rising acceptance of pajamas in some public schools (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-pajamas-20120122,0,1735091.story) and profanity as routine language, educators are not only challenged with locking down creative ways to enhance learning but commanding standards that were once instilled in the home.

It may be the age of the microwave, however, self-respect and respect for others should always dictate behavior and a time and place for everything remains. Sorry dudes and dudettes, the language spawned from texting was never intended to be all purpose-applied.