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Letters to a Young Manager


Reframing, #442
LTYM >

Please note that this letter is in-process; the following are my notes

Dear Adam,
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The problem and opportunity of reframing an issue: seeking a new direction but risking losing precision/impact

Euphemism: "a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. ...the jargon has given us ‘downsizing’ as a euphemism for cuts".

Compare George Carlin on "Shell shock" (see first 2 minutes of his routine, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuEQixrBKCc "Simple, honest, direct language; two syllables"; became "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" 8 syllables and a hyphen; "the pain is completely buried under jargon" the "soft language" that develops over time that "takes the life out of life". "The physically challenged" "a grotesque evasion"

and also the Wikipedia list of examples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphemism (e.g., "Sanitation Worker" for "Garbage Man")

An interesting slide deck from the Kellogg School, circa 2013, on accompaniment by a student(?) of Paul Farmer.  Attached [http://kellogg.nd.edu/events/calendar/fall2013/images/Accompaniment.pptx]

"True accompaniment does not privilege technical expertise above solidarity or compassion or a willingness to tackle what may seem to be insuperable challenges. It requires cooperation, openness, and teamwork" --Paul Farmer, "Accompaniment as Policy," Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University (25 May 2011) http://www.lessonsfromhaiti.org/press-and-media/transcripts/accompaniment-as-policy/

What Jan. 9, 2015 WDR Forum called "Technology colonialism"
***
Sincerely yours,
Ed
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References...

Takeaways:

Sometimes reframing helps; sometimes it obscures

Discussion Questions:


For Further Reading:





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