Tag Archives: Language

People connect with people: why a conversational tone of voice suits social learning

Posted on February 8, 2013 by

I was up in London earlier this week, sat in the reception of the Gherkin, one of the landmark buildings that houses a number of my clients. Ah, i thought, they’ve changed the chairs. They used to have large red … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Effectiveness, Formal Spaces, Informal Spaces, Jargon, Language, Learning, News, Social Learning, Social Media, Stories, Storytelling, Tone of Voice, Words, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The languages of learning: poetry

Posted on November 2, 2012 by

On this journey through the languages of learning, many of the examples we’ve looked at would often be considered to be ‘arts’, to be somehow informal, to be less rigorous than ‘formal’ communication. We can all see how video is … Continue reading →

Posted in Adaptability | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

If you don’t know, then who does? Reflecting on learning and training

Posted on October 4, 2012 by

Rich is taking a month long course to teach English as a foreign language. I’m impressed. It’s a notoriously challenging qualification and intense to do in a month. Back to the days of homework and late nights of study. Which … Continue reading →

Posted in Coaching, Education, Grammar, Knowledge, Learning, Teaching, Training, Words, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Innovation in the learning experience. Why it never hurts to think about doing something different.

Posted on December 2, 2011 by

Yesterday’s post about interactive stories got me thinking. Innovation can sometimes be driven by technology, but it doesn’t need to be. Innovation can be as cheap and easy to deliver as ‘doing the same old thing’, but, because it’s innovative, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Instructional Design, Learning Methodology, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Speaking the same language. Why communication can be quite difficult.

Posted on October 4, 2011 by

Speaking to mechanics is something dread. It’s not that i’m concerned about how much it’s going to cost to get my car fixed, it’s that we don’t share a common language. Communication is, to put it mildly, skewed. There are … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Language, Meaning | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The subtle art of communication. How we understand and misunderstand each other every day.

Posted on June 3, 2011 by

Today, i’ll speak to people, email people, talk on the phone, Skype and wave at someone across the street. There’s a birthday card that i should send as well. And i need to write two proposals and a report. All … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Language, Uncategorized, Understanding, Worldview | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why do we choose the words we do? Choosing your voice and creating identity in real and online spaces.

Posted on May 26, 2011 by

What’s in a word? Quite a lot actually. We choose the words that we use in the same way that we choose the clothes we wear and the colour we paint our lounge. Words are powerful, emotive and evocative. Their … Continue reading →

Posted in Identity, Language, Online Spaces, Words | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rules are made to be broken. Why conforming is not always a good thing.

Posted on April 18, 2011 by

In learning, as with all things, it’s sometimes good to challenge authority. Just because things have always been done one way, doesn’t mean that that’s the best way to do them. Convention is just how things have come to be … Continue reading →

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What’s in a word? How do we choose the words we use in learning?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by

I’ve been doing some research into gender bias in business writing and came across an interesting piece of research into how Toy adverts use vocabulary that reinforces gender stereotypes (http://www.achilleseffect.com/2011/03/word-cloud-how-toy-ad-vocabulary-reinforces-gender-stereotypes/) It’s a nicely constructed piece of work that presents some interesting, although … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog, Communication, Gender, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The language of design. Understanding how to speak it and knowing what makes a design good.

Posted on March 25, 2011 by

With any piece of e-learning, there are two parts to the story; what you say and how you say it. A good story pays equal attention to both. Spend all your efforts in crafting the message, but present it poorly, … Continue reading →

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