Tim Gunn on the Power of Words

Yesterday I found a copy of Tim Gunn's book, A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style, at the local public library. Remember libraries have millions of books on all subjects you can borrow for FREE. They even have electronic audio books. Having discovered Project Runway through Netflix, my daughters, sister, and I are now Tim Gunn fans. He embodies numerous Mixonian ideals: creativity, style, vocabulary, kindness, tough love.

He studied English Literature at Yale; hooray for humanities majors! His career path was unconventional, but he found his way by connecting the dots between literature, art, teaching, administration, showing up when you're supposed to, and doing a great job. Here is his take on the power of vocabulary:

I am mindful of the power of vocabulary; it can unleash limitless quantities of defining and descriptive words and phrases that awaken the listener or reader to new dimensions of understanding....But vocabulary can derail, render impotent, and befuddle meanings or intended meanings. The words that we choose to critically analyze people, places, and things are especially important, and we must be responsibly cognizant of what we intend to say (22).

Sometimes we are caught off guard and spout off the most negative vocabulary free fall, which truly goes further than we intended. On the other side, it's much more helpful to explain why we "love" this dress, this ad, this article. Here are his suggestions on the all-important skill of giving feedback: honest positives and honest-but-not-hurtful negatives.

POSITIVE:
"I find this (insert item here) to be compelling, because..."
"I respond well to this, because..."
"I'm attracted to this, because..."

NEGATIVE:
"I'm not responding well to this, because..."
"This isn't working for me, because..."

Apart from Mr. Gunn's very useful tool for delivering a more precise and helpful message, he's wise to understand the power of language. Make it work!

5 Ways to Learn New Words

Managing more words reveals new layers of meaning in your life. Not only do you understand more of what's going on around you, it's easier to express yourself clearly and in the right number of words. (Don't get pleonastic!)

Given time and energy constraints, how does one get a handle on new words? The first step is to commit to doing so. Merely having this intention clear in your mind will make you see learning opportunities that were previously invisible to you.

1. My sister recommends http://www.thefreedictionary.com. They have a veritable surplus of treasures on their site, including new words each day, interesting quotations, hangman, spelling bees, matching games. Visiting this site and subscribing is one way to go. Try to use the new word right away. Write it in an email, or call a friend and make some comment. Say something pithy.

I learned the meaning of the word "phronesis" just before taking my doctoral qualifying exam last October. I used that word in each of the 8 essays I wrote for that test. I was intrigued that none of my professors commented on that flash of "brilliance". Maybe they really didn't read those essays...

2. Another possibility is subscribing to http://www.dictionary.com's Word of the Day. They don't email it to you, it shows up on your home page. Use that word as soon as you can. Write it down in your journal. Use it.

3. Yet another option is to buy a page-a-day calendar with new words each day. Print media still works.

4. Read, and look up words you're not sure about. Read, and figure out the meanings of words from the context of the sentence. Reading expands your vocabulary without you're realizing it.

5. Get a doctorate. It's expensive, but you will learn many new words, guaranteed.

Learn new words. Try for at least one a day. Be a maverick!

4 Reasons to Learn New Words

This post is inspired by my sister, dedicated to my mother, who always told me to look it up in the dictionary, and to Miss Carola, who does the same.

Learning new words has never been easier. Actually learning anything is more accessible than ever before. The critical question then becomes, all other things being equal, what should one learn? If all knowledge can be accessed through Wikipedia, then there is no apparent reason to learn because the answers are just a few clicks away. It may surprise you to know that learning new words can actually enable you achieve your goals faster and more completely, and help you get closer to the good life.

1. A wider vocabulary means faster career advancement. Johnson O'Connor (1891-1975) dedicated his life to understanding human behavior by measuring certain specific aptitudes. he did this through extensive testing and research throughout the United States over a span of more than 50 years. He determined that vocabulary level is the single best indicator of a person's career advancement.

2. Managing more words means people think you are smarter. Dr. O'Connor also found that regardless of a person's pattern of aptitudes and abilities, if the person fails to articulate, that person is likely to be considered less competent than a person who actually knows less (is truly less competent), but expresses himself more clearly and convincingly. Anyone who's worked in Corporate America sees this all the time. For additional examples, see Dilbert.

3. Impress people effortlessly. My sister recently made waves in a big way with one of her clients by telling him how to "eradicate", certain files, rather than using the usual humdrum verb "delete". She also could have used "obliterate, demolish, annihilate", but not "decimate". These more colorful words conjure more exciting images, and make you look better in the process.

4. It's fun to have more words in one's treasure box. It's also amusing, enjoyable, entertaining, pleasurable,cool, exciting, agreeable, gratifying, and pleasing.

Understanding a wider array of words advances your career because you understand more meanings and motives with greater precision. Expressing yourself clearly transmits an image of intelligence that often impresses in a good way. Enjoy the process.

Next post: Learn New Words: The Easy Way