Ever talk to one of those people who go through a rather exhaustive list of things before they get to the point? And then when they finally do get there, it's sort of, well...moot? see more Friends of Irony Are you a bottom-liner? Do you usually prefer, "Just the facts, Ma'am?" Would you rather shoot first and ask questions later? Sometimes you really do need some background in order to properly interpret the situation or make an informed decision. Other times, just like this sign, it's best to get to the bottom line before you waste time discussing details that simply don't matter. Know anyone who beats around the bush? Someone who circles the neighborhood before driving up the driveway?...
I'm starting another new series called Communication Pet Peeves. I'll put these out about once a month or so, but I just have to kvetch about this (My Jewish heritage coming out and I hope I spelled that right). As a member of the non techie community, I have to say one of my biggest communication pet peeves is when I am in need of some "help file" and I can't make heads or drivel out of the online manual. It's usually written in Tech-ese and I'm not even conversational! Tech manuals usually start with step 67 moving quickly to steps 68, 69 and 70 followed directly afterward by step 107! Um...Ya lost me! Will someone climb down the technology...
Foot in Mouth Man (FIMM) is our lovable mascot here at Art of Eloquence. A bumbling miscommunicator who sticks his foot in his mouth each month for your amusement and "confusement." He does it so often that he has Athlete's Tongue! However, there are some people I have encountered recently on social media and blog sites who are vying for the coveted title of FIMMpersonator of the Month and I thought I'd give it out to one lucky winner. Communication doesn't break down significantly if someone has a typo or two and, as my editor knows, I can't spell my way out of a paper "bagg" so I'd never complain if someone had a grammatical error or a misspelled word...
I posted this about a year ago. It got such a wonderful response that I thought I'd bring it back. It's a take-off on how a typical car salesmen would break down the price of a car. I was thinking about what I do, which is really selling my words. So accordingly, here is the breakdown of the price for a... Word Salesman: Words ..............................................................................$14.95 Title Fee .............................................................................$1.73 Order Tax (ya gotta have the words in the right order!) ...$20.99 Translation Fee (so my thoughts are in ENGLISH) ..........$10.75 Punctuation Accessories ...................................................$7.95 Adjective Fee ....................................................................$4.95 Paragraph Charge ..............................................................$2.23 PDF Handy Carrying Case ................................................$17.95 Years of Research and Education .................................$1059.72 ———————————————————————————————————- Total cost for one communication study! ......................$1141.22 For more moderately...
For the next few weeks, I'm going to post a series of articles answering the typical questions homeschoolers are asked. Each Monday, I'll post answers to questions about socialization, college prep, and extra curricular events. I'll also deal with how to handle things when your children are grilled by folks who wonder, (as one anti homeschooler put it) "Does she KNOW anything?" I've been homeschooling for over ten years. I have taught every grade level and even graduated one student who went on to an elite university. My children and I have been asked every homeschooling question in the book, but this week I'm going to begin at the beginning. Why? Why do you homeschool? Why did you decide...
