The person who is actually affected most by the language we use is US! What we say, the words we choose, the language we use are all factors that influence what we actually\u00a0think<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my all-time favourite TED Talks is Lera Boroditsky\u2019s\u00a0How Language Shapes the Way We Think<\/a>. Did you know that Russian-speakers are better able to distinguish light blue from dark blue than English-speakers, because in Russian the two colours have different names?? Talk about language having power! And for languages that have grammatical gender\u00a0[e.g. a table (der Tisch) in German is masculine, and a house (la maison) in French is feminine], speakers of those languages attribute gendered traits to those items.\u00a0A German would describe a table using typically masculine adjectives, and a French speaker would describe a house using feminine adjectives, purely because of the unconscious bias that the grammatical gender creates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe idea is that the particular language one speaks influences the way one\u00a0thinks\u00a0about reality. The most cited example of this in practice is that the Inuit have many words for snow which helps them to name and therefore understand more precisely the reality of their surroundings.\u201d Greg McKeown argues in his podcast that\u00a0language is the superpower you\u2019re not using<\/a>!\u00a0Our choice of words is so important. And who doesn\u2019t want a superpower??!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n SOCIALIZATION…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How we are socialized plays an enormous role in how we communicate. Were you taught to express your feelings? Or to hide them? Did your parents model empathy and curiosity when speaking to you? Or were they judgemental and critical? The communication style that children grow up with at home, at school, and in their environment really informs how that child will communicate themself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I grew up with this brilliant poem hanging on the wall of my childhood bedroom:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Listening to \u201cThe Problem with Men<\/a>\u201d in a recent podcast episode really blew my socks off. I had no idea how many micro lessons on behaviour and communication boys are indirectly taught through their socialization. Yes, this is a political podcast, and yes the topic is geared towards the American Man, but the interplay between how boys are socialized and how they live as men is relevant for most Western societies. The words we use are powerful and carry a much stronger import and impact than we often consider.\u00a0\u00a0Leigh interviews Mark Greene about\u00a0The Man Box<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 \u201ca set of beliefs within and across society that place pressure on men to be a certain way \u2013 to be tough; not to show any emotions; to be the breadwinner, to always be in control, use violence to solve problems; and to have many sexual partners.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This podcast is a must-listen! You can also\u00a0watch the interview<\/a>\u00a0on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LISTENING…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I came across a brilliant interview<\/a> of a University of Toronto professor, Haesun Moon, which combines two of my passions: linguistics and coaching! Dr. Moon has written a fabulous book called Coaching A-Z: The Extraordinary Use of Words<\/a>. The book offers 26 powerful everyday words to add to your vocabulary in order to be a better communicator, coach, and listener. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my favourites is C: Care. Did you know that the Latin word for care \u2018cura\u2019 <\/em>is the root for the word curate? I love that! One of my core values is sharing, and one of the key ways I embody that is by curating this newsletter. Isn\u2019t that such a cool intersection? And \u2018cura\u2019<\/em> is also the root of curiosity \u2013 you are literally showing you care by being curious! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Moon has also come up with what she calls the \u201cDialogic Orientation Quadrant\u201d (quite a mouthful!) which is essentially a listening compass.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The horizontal axis is Time \u2013 from past to future. The vertical axis is Content \u2013 positive content above the line and negative content below. I love this as a way of honing your listening! Someone talking about their Preferred Future is describing not a destination, but a description of what they would like to be, have, accomplish, do.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT I’M READING…<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Whose book recommendations do you trust implicitly?? My cousin Chrissy has fantastic taste in books and when she recommends something, regardless of whether the book summary sounds like something I\u2019d enjoy reading or not, I read it. (If you haven\u2019t read Richard Wagamese\u2019s\u00a0Ragged Company<\/a>, you really must. Chrissy recommended it to me years ago and it is a story that has stayed with me till today. An absolute treasure of a book!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jnhcoaching.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/HOW-LANGUAGE-SHAPES-THE-WAY-WE-THINK-1024x862.jpg\")
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