#20: Susan Rooks - The Ethics of Communication

Does thought influence language of does language influence thought?
Is it worth the risk to offer constructive criticism?
Can you set high standards and remain respectful when others fall short?

Discover the answer to these and other highly relevant questions as Grammar Goddess Susan Rooks joins The Rabbi and the Shrink

https://grammargoddess.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanrooks-the-grammar-goddess/
https://twitter.com/Grammar_Goddess

2:00  The importance of preserving the integrity of language

We are what we say and what we think

Language is only as perfect as how we use it

Objective vs. subjective perception

8:00 Words are free, but it’s how you use them that costs

We get defensive when we don’t like what we hear

“You can do [even] better”

11:00  It’s risky to offer correction or disagree

Start with a smile

You can have high standards and still be pleasant

Smile at strangers

16:30  What’s the effect of grammar mistakes?

The power of positive speaking

Technology can bring us closer together

Accept people for where they are coming from

Look for the nobility in others

25:00  We’ve become more abrupt

We have a responsibility to choose our words carefully

30:00 Be curious

When you hear an accent, adjust expectations

“You’ll see the robot in the street”

33:00 Onomatopoeia -- a word that sounds like what it is

In Hebrew the same word means “word” and “thing”

Respecting the meaning of words is respecting reality

36:00 How do we further meaningful discussions that increase understanding

Listen to learn, not to respond

Everybody knows something you don’t

The sages teach:   Who is wise? One who learns from every person

39:00 How do you keep words fresh

Strike a balance between tradition and progression

Why can’t our language be poetic and elegant while preserving the integrity of words?

43:30  Should some of us impose usage on others?

Orwell’s vision of thought control through speech control

Choose to speak respectfully