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Sleepless in Saskatoon? Tips to treat insomnia in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

October 2022 Vol 4 Issue 10

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling

Let me teach you to tell your story!

Welcome Mid-October, 2022!

The shortening of our daylight hours has become perceptible this month. And with the return of at least some professionals to commutes and the pressures of sharing public office space, not to mention the next set of deadlines and in-person training, we may not be surprised to find that regularly getting a good night’s sleep can be a challenge!

So in Article One, this month, some tips for treating insomnia from Australian psychologist, Chris James.

In Storytellers’ Corner, I visit the difference that exists between the words “tautology” and “redundancy,” with help from world-class etymologist, Bryan Garner.

Although our golden and crimson leaves have now mostly fallen, autumn is still beautiful in Saskatchewan. This coming week will bring temperatures as warm as 20 degrees Celsius, to remind us that the season is more than simply a precursor to another Canadian winter!

But as winter does return, crisp, cold days will prevail, encouraging us to pack away those shorts and sandals for warm sweaters and boots; and to replace our iced “bevvies” with hearty soups and hot ciders.

Although these late Covid days bring many challenges to us all, good readers, my hope is that we will continue to feel gratitude for the blessings that we sometimes overlook, but which still grace our lives.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Shih

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Sleepless in Saskatoon? Tips to treat insomnia

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: The case of “tautology” and “redundancy” with  etymologist, Bryan Garner

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One: Sleepless in Saskatoon? Tips to treat insomnia (as we brace for another winter) . . .

I’ll get to the point: How are you sleeping, these days?

Have you been struggling with a lack of good sleep, while fighting one of the many viruses (besides Covid-19) that have infected our province in recent weeks?

In last June’s issue of the ezine “Psyche,” an article titled “How to sleep well again,” by Australian psychologist Chris James, updated us on effective methods to relieve insomnia—and with methods beyond the usual “pills and potions.”

We don’t need James to remind us that “insomnia” for entrepreneurs and other professionals can be a “debilitating, distressing [and] deeply frustrating condition that affects all aspects of sufferers’ lives.” We all know that we need sleep to recharge our bodies and minds, to allow our bodies to heal and to process the day’s events. If we get seven to nine hours nightly with little (if any) disruption, we should consider ourselves blessed! Good quality, deep sleep can be elusive.

Sleep-deprivation causes us to drag ourselves through meetings, to manage time intended for thinking and writing amidst a groggy, tired, irritable fog. It can, as James says, “feel like torture.”

To diagnose the term, he says, we must have “persistent difficulty with getting to sleep and/or staying asleep, at least three nights per week.”

But who among us hasn’t ever plodded through the “vicious cycle” that can cruelly develop between the desperation to sleep and the frustration of being unable to do so (tossing and turning), that actually “makes it even harder to get to sleep?”

I remember being told to try Zopiclone a few years ago (pre-Covid), by a medical professional who used it herself to catch sleep when she had sick children at home and a demanding, daytime career. Zopiclone is habit-forming, however, and I never felt comfortable relying on it, which undermined its usefulness to me in the first place.

Medical science tells us that about one-third of the population experiences one or more symptoms of insomnia, of which 10 percent have chronic insomnia. James notes that the condition is one of the most prevalent to beset us in current times.

It may consist not only of failing to get the usual seven to nine hours that modern medicine says we need; insomnia can also involve having “highly fragmented” sleep, and struggles to get and/or stay asleep, throughout the night.

Insomnia, James says, is distinct from sleep problems that arise from factors like work-shift patterns, perhaps the late-night parties (that some attend, post SABEX awards!) or noisy neighbours. And the term also excludes those with other conditions like circadian rhythm disorders or sleep apnea.

We don’t have to have long-term insomnia to know how it detracts from work performance, relationships and the motivation to exercise regularly and eat healthily. Sufferers report that they stop doing extracurricular activities and lack the energy to maintain their health.

Feelings of powerlessness and deep depression can ensue. But few insomniacs seek support for their sleeplessness and the field is partly populated with unregulated practitioners. It doesn’t help that most medical students in North American and Australia receive only two-and-a-half to three hours of sleep education in the whole of their degrees!

Therefore, doctors often overlook or minimize symptoms. Patients’ desperation may lead them to try supplements and remedies (“pills and potions”) that offer to quickly fix the problem, without substantiating how.

But James claims that the last 10 years have brought “highly effective treatments . . . supported by solid scientific evidence.” Doctors and psychologists who specialize in sleep disorders say that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is now considered the “gold standard” treatment for insomnia, because it focuses on sleeplessness as the result of self-perpetuating, negative behaviours and thoughts.

If you have experienced more insomnia lately than earlier in the Covid pandemic, this bears out medicine’s claim that insomnia results from changes in routines and periods of elevated stress, due to illnesses, having babies, changing jobs, losing a loved one or other relationships troubles.

Sufferers often try to treat their problem by taking “more caffeine, going to bed earlier, drinking alcohol, taking sleep supplements, sleeping on the sofa” and so on, which tend only to fuel the problem and persist, even if stressful events or bereavements have long passed.

James says that learning about how sleep works, making changes to habits, learning ways to relax properly and debunking damaging myths can all be helpful. This treatment, he says, is more “training than . . . therapy,” because it requires self-discipline and emotional (and physical) exercise. But he says the treatment does work.

As a sufferer of occasional sleeplessness, but not full-blown insomnia, I’m aware that negative thought patterns can coincide with sleeplessness, as though the “world is too much with us” to leave us a few hours to find some peace.

While James says he’s found success as a psychologist offering CBT methods, as outlined in such classic books as Mind Over Mood, I’d personally recommend some strategies that may be less laborious: listening to hypnotherapy recordings (https://hypnoheather.com/may refer you to some) and to CDs of relaxation music (e.g. “Letting Go of Stress” and “Sleep Soundly” by Emmet Miller and Steven Halpern) have been composed to include sleep-inducing rhythms and sounds.

I also urge you to read about and consider taking Dr. Jud Brewer’s program “Unwinding Anxiety,” which assists sufferers in resolving anxiety and depression. (And no, I do not receive any affiliate or other compensation for recommending these providers.)

And now it’s your turn: Do you suffer sleeplessness, or worse, insomnia? What strategies are you using to free yourself from the agony? Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:  The case of “tautology” and “redundancy” with etymologist, Bryan Garner

Anyone who has read or studied the Arts or Fine Arts will be familiar with this month’s words: “tautology” and “redundancy.” I can remember first using the word “tautology” when translating medieval poetry in my Middle English course in the early 90s. (Remember translating “The Parliament of Fowls,” anyone?)

American etymologist Bryan Garner recently clarified the difference between these two words.

“Tautology,” he writes, is a term “found mostly in discussions of logic and rhetoric,” and specifically “to a restatement of something already said within the immediate context—in words that are different but do not add anything new.” Tautologies  often underpin circular reasoning, so that the words may sound convincing, but on closer analysis, merely circle back upon themselves.

To demonstrate the term “tautology,” Garner quotes Daniel Mitchell in a 2022 article on the “European Cult of Multinationalism” (“Washington Times,” 7 Nov. 2022, A25):

“Some people in Europe seem to think international bureaucracies and global treaties automatically generate good policy. Indeed, they define good policy as anything that is produced by this process—a rather convenient tautology.”

Garner distinguishes “tautology” from the more general term, “redundancy”: the latter refers to a word or phrase that adds nothing to the overall meaning because its sense has already been expressed (for e.g. “advance planning,” or “first introduction,” etc.).

Redundancies are common in wordy and imprecise writing that can (of course) be found all over online and off-line sources. Prior to retiring, the former Managing Editor of The Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Wilf Popoff, gave workshops to local writers and editors that cited many such laughable redundancies, as  “new baby,” as well as “fatally killed” and “permanently deceased.”

Redundancies can tickle your funny bone, as well as alert your mind. Some of my favourites are “absolutely essential,” “first conceived,” “basic fundamentals,” “harmful injury,” “joint collaboration,” “major breakthrough,” and “very unique.”

Put simply: brevity and precision carry power. And language matters!

And now it’s your turn. Have you wondered about what a “tautology” is, or how it is different from mere redundancy? Please send in your examples for me to use in a future issue!

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SHOP NEWS:

Thanks and kudos this month to the staff at The Franklin (Revera’s senior assisted living building) in Saskatoon, who cultivate empathy and caring for our seniors without sacrificing professionalism.

I’m particularly grateful to Executive Director, Vin Rana; transportation director, Steve, and duty and building managers, Dea, Mason and Charmaine for taking very good care of seniors who need their care and dedication.

If you have a senior in your family who would benefit from assistive living support, please contact Daniel at The Franklin for a tour, at (306) 664-6366.

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Congratulations to Monica Kreuger, Chief Visionary Officer of Global Infobrokers (Home of the Praxis Group of Schools), and her team, including Vice-President Brent Kreuger, Facilitator Deanna Litz and Program Administrator, Elaine Mantyka, for reaching “finalist” standing for “Business of the Year” at Saskatoon’s 2022 SABEX Awards, last Thursday evening, October 13th!

Also included in this thanks are PSE staff, Marie Weinkauf (bookkeeper) and Silvana Cracogna (Coordinator and facilitator of Language Programs).

Of the 400+ attendees of the awards, no business other than Global Infobrokers had provided entrepreneurial training and preparation to more than 1200 Saskatchewanians, including alumni who were present to promote their separate businesses, and even to win awards in other categories.

And no other business hosted a larger number of its team (me included) for the event—more than three lengthy rows of Praxis delegates, who attended to support them.

For more than 30 years, Monica and Brent Kreuger and their team have introduced to and deepened the practice of entrepreneurship in the province of Saskatchewan, shaping and making many, many careers in the process.

Those entrepreneurs remain affiliated with them and become part of a large network, which reflects Praxis’ commitment to excellence.

From among the list of finalists and the winner (Magnus Construction Services), I can think of no company more worthy of the “Business of the Year” than Praxis/Global–and yes, I am partial, as an alumna who also facilitates for them, every quarter. (But no, I am not paid for affiliate marketing!)

Global Infobrokers wins as the Business of Every Year, for those fortunate enough to train through it or work with its team.

So deepest THANKS, Monica, Brent and Team, for all you’ve achieved and continue to do!

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While the above companies are not new businesses, they continue achieve excellence across all fields, including community service, which earns them recognition, here.

There are always new businesses and entrepreneurial programs to promote.

Please write me to share your success stories.

But for now, this is a wrap for mid-October!

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Finally, my spirits as a teacher and writer are regularly buoyed by local friends Laura Van Loon (Parish Nurse), Monica Kreuger (Chief Visionary Officer of the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship), (Lesley-Anne McLeod (Regency novelist), Steve Cavan (Classicist and ESL teacher), Rev. Roberto DeSandoli (Minister of Word and Sacrament), Julie Barnes (professional writer and philanthropist), Erin Watson (librarian, University of Saskatchewan), and Dani Van Driel (painter and director, Action Battery).

When waters get choppy around issues like cutbacks to publicly funded health and senior care in the province, these friends have expressed their support in fortifying. ways and words.  Merci beaucoup, mes amies!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help newcomers to Canada land better jobs and economic immigrants to secure better contracts by improving their English skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

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Why bother studying languages? Because language learning lasts a lifetime. . . in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

September 2022 Vol 4 Issue 9

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Linguistic Communication
Let me teach you to tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: Why bother studying languages? Because language learning lasts a lifetime
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
On “accent hallucination” and “accent bias,” from “Grammar Girl,” Mignon Fogarty
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Welcome Mid-September 2021!

The prairie heatwave of August and early September has finally abated (and still pales next to the 40+ degrees my students in Europe have reported).
As we conclude the second full week of September, I can hear renewed road construction nearby,suspended in the late summer, but now intensified (perhaps because winter looms?).

Have you, like many Canadians, felt saddened by the sudden (but not unexpected) passing of Queen Elizabeth II? Her dignity, grace and unsurpassed 70 years of service, as the monarch of Great Britain
and Commonwealth nations, cannot be dismissed, even by those not interested in royal history. Most of us were not alive (or cannot remember) a time before she acceded the throne.

My sense of sadness at her passing has been mitigated by the queen’s sense of humour, while the world observed her Jubilee year. Have you seen (maybe more than once?) her “tea party” with Paddington Bear, at Buckingham Palace? (This clip was recommended to me last spring by friends in
the UK): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UfiCa244XE
May Queen Elizabeth II rest-in-peace and inspire us to show the kind of dedication to our lives’ work that she did, to hers.
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In Article One of this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” as a teacher of (and writer in) the English language, I discuss a surprising truth of the longevity that language learning has, in our minds.
Many arguments are regularly made for the importance of studying sciences and mathematics (STEM fields), but seldom has anyone discussed the time defying power of learning new languages.

And in “Storytellers’ Corner,” I discuss the worrisome development of “accent hallucination” and bias, as described by American “GrammarGirl,” Mignon Fogarty. Equally important are steps we can take to stop them.

Despite the exhaustion many of us find during these world-weary, pandemic days, I wish for you that this autumn will allow you both to plan and accomplish your professional endeavours; and that you will take heart in some of the joys of life that have arisen from our recent summer season.

And may each of us find gratitude for the blessings that we sometimes fail to notice, but which continue to grace our lives.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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Article One: Why bother studying languages? Because language learning lasts a lifetime
In a recent article in “The Conversation” enewsletter, author Monika Schmid discussed the lasting nature of language studies, as shown in recent research conducted in the United Kingdom.

This year, students in the UK took 25,000 A-levels and 315,000 GCSEs (“General Certificate of Secondary Education”) in a modern foreign language. (GCSEs are needed for colleges and employers in the UK. Passing five GCSE exams at the grades of C or higher is considered roughly to equal a North American, “high school” diploma).

These statistics indicate that the extent to which languages are studied as subject matter for GCSEs has fallen by more than 40% (and A-levels by about 25%), over the past 20 years.

Schmid notes that between 2014 and 2019, there was a 19% reduction in students taking GCSEs in modern languages. Why does this matter?

This development concerns educators because, contrary to some popular belief, language learning is a very useful pursuit. Studies have shown that being able to read and write in a language other than
English allows students to perform higher on standardized examinations and also to earn more at work, especially in Europe, the US and Canada.

Of particular interest to Schmid and her readers is her recent research that shows that “language knowledge will last you a lifetime.” The capability you develop in a foreign language lasts longer than many of us might think and is “astonishingly stable over long periods of time.”

The first sign of such results was reported, nearly 40 years ago by American psychologist Harry P. Bahrick, who found that 600 Americans retained high school Spanish studies up to 50 years after their original classes: while he found “a small amount of loss between the third and sixth year after
learning had ceased, knowledge appeared stable for decades afterwards.”

For instance, 25 years after they stopped studying other languages, learners were found to have preserved about 70% of their vocabulary, despite not having used the language in the intervening time.

By contrast, unless learners became math students in college or university, within three or four years, their memory of high school mathematics, calculus and geometry-trigonometry, were all virtually forgotten.

In the UK, nearly 500 test participants who had studied French GCSEs or A-level courses, up to 50 years previously, but who had not used or studied the language since, performed “at the same level as those who only took the exam a few months ago, and as those who did, on occasion, use French”
(Schmid).

This surprises many (including me), because of the common belief that one must “use it or lose it” when it comes to our education. But Schmid says that the reason such memory is possible is due to the “way we acquire, remember and use language.”

More specifically, while the vocabulary of a new language is learned by memorization, similar to the facts and rules of algebra and science, which are vulnerable to forgetting, grammar functions are learned in a way that Schmid says is like “riding a bicycle.”

Studying grammar involves using the part of our brain that is good at remembering sequences and patterns through frequent repetition, so that linguistic grammar becomes “more like a reflex,” and a kind of knowledge that “resists forgetting” (Schmid).

For example, I remember first learning the “causative faire” and the conditional mood in grade nine French. Today, I still remember how it works, although more than 30 years have lapsed since that instruction.
Furthermore, the brain does not compartmentalize “English” grammar and usage apart from “French” or any other language. Instead, the brain can develop a very complex, responsive net that we draw on, when we use a word or phrase.

When we draw on that linguistic net in our brains, researchers have found that one area that lights up with energy then transmits to other areas that are connected to it. (For e.g., words that sound similar, words that mean similar things, and are often used together, are all energized.)

Studying a foreign language causes a learner to build a net that partly overlaps the one we already built in our native language. Then, every time you use the word “apple” in English, the term “pomme” in French “receive[s] a small amount of stimulation every time you use the English version.” That stimulation “prevents the [second] language from eroding entirely” (Schmid).

While this does not mean we will start conversing in a second, third or other foreign language, years after our high school/GCSE education ended, it does make it possible for us to return to the language without having to “painstakingly re-learn the grammar [we] were taught” in the past” (Schmid).

Schmid adds a particularly wonderful insight about the value of studying foreign languages: when we experience minor emergencies in life, “like lost luggage or a broken-down car,” language learners find we can excavate words from the language of that country, with just a bit of prompting or help
from its native speakers, whom we encounter.

Schmid’s article in “The Conversation” enewsletter explains that the depth of mental engagement that comes from learning a language reveals that non-Native language studies should be better appreciated and promoted, as a part of education systems, globally, and certainly our own.

And now it’s your turn: Have you seriously studied foreign languages at any time in your life? Have you tried to remember that knowledge, later, when interacting with native speakers?
Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you!
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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, stories, riddles and more on writing and editing . . .
On “accent hallucination” and “accent bias,” reported by “Grammar Girl,” Mignon Fogarty

Mignon Fogarty (America’s “Grammar Girl”) recently shared some findings on issues raised by accented English, from the research of Professor Valerie Fridlund (Department of Linguistics, U of Nevada, Reno, NV).

Fogarty began by saying that research shows that people tend to prefer those who sound like we do. This leads to what linguists call “accent bias” (AB).

AB occurs when someone feels negatively about another’s (different) accent and develops resistance or prejudice toward it. Fogarty goes on to report that AB can make it harder for those with minority accents to succeed in
school or at work. Those with different accents also may not find legal recourse for such discrimination.

Even the belief that people (who may be perceived as non-native speakers) have an accent, rather than the accent itself, can create a barrier to comprehension and acceptance. So some speakers are discriminated against or suffer accent bias, without even having an accent!

The increased processing time (a small amount more of cognitive functioning) that we need to understand a non-Native speaker of English, or even the anticipation that we will hear an accent, can lead to problems in comprehension.

That might be challenging enough for a non-Native speaker. But the phenomenon that someone who looks different will have an accent can lead to “accent hallucination.” Here, a native speaker is heard to have a foreign accent, when they actually don’t (e.g. such as a speaker who is a second-generation
speaker)!

Fridland’s research shows that online, oral comprehension among university students of a lecturer believed to be an international graduate student Teaching Assistant (TA) can be reduced, even if students are simply shown a photo of the TA as a non-Native speaker. Here there is a perception
(“hallucination”) of accent, not an actual one.

Just being shown a minority person’s photo made it harder for students to accurately transcribe what a Native Speaker TA was saying! “Accent hallucination,” indeed!

The bias is believed to pertain to the listener’s resistance to making extra cognitive effort to decipher another’s accent, which diverts attention from their transcribing process. Processing efforts may play a role in how comprehensible speakers are found to be, whether or not
they actually speak with accents.

Hearing something unexpected, like a foreign accent, can have other, detrimental consequences, such as finding a non-Native speaker of English to be less trustworthy or believable (credibility).

In the face of racist implications from linguistic misperception, Fogarty reports that “fortunately, we are fast and flexible learners” of others’ accents and speaking styles. She shares these insights:

(1) Recognizing listeners’ bias parks some responsibility on the listener’s efforts and not only the speaker’s. (I can remember learning to adjust to understand a South African professor, 25 years ago,
whose accent was new to me.)
(2) We can reduce listener’s bias (and delay in comprehension) by (i) increasing our exposure to non-Native speech and (ii) by receiving more information about what to expect before we hear a non-Native speaker

For instance, prior exposure to or training on speech with a foreign accent reduces the cognitive processing we as listeners must do and can decrease negative value associations (e.g. the belief that accented speakers are less credible than “non-accented” ones). In truth, all speakers of every
language are accented, according to some background, such as Western Canadian, as I found when living in the UK. Some Londoners found my English hard to comprehend.

But tolerance can be found when listeners are willing to make additional effort and not if they are unwilling or refuse out of racism. Giving listeners the information that they’re about to hear a foreign accent prior to exposure can help them adapt more quickly. This is likely because less of a mismatch arises between listeners’ expectations and what they actually hear (which pertains to at least some of the results of “accent hallucination” studies).

Likewise, when subjects in linguistic processing studies were told, before hearing and rating non-Native speakers, that the process could affect the believability of the speakers, listeners no longer judged those with mild accents to be untrustworthy.

(3) Broader exposure to other, non-Native linguistic communities also improved listeners’ processing. Encouraging listeners to have a “growth mindset” whereby they will improve in their ability to understand and transcribe non-Native accents by increased exposure, helped to decrease resistance and accent bias.

Fridland’s findings on “accent hallucination” and “accent bias” can improve communication between Native and non-Native speakers globally, thereby reducing racism.

As Fogarty concludes, it is our responsibility to “prim[e] a positive mindset” and to give listeners more contextual information about who they are listening to, when we teach, introduce, or translate speakers with foreign accents, so as to reduce negative outcomes for both listeners and speakers,
alike.

Do you have a concept, idea, or problem involving any aspect of writing or communications?
Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.
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SHOP NEWS:

 

 

 

 

A very deep “thank you” this month to Dr. Ravi Basi and the team of wonderful nurses and care aides, at City Hospital’s Observation Ward (of the Emergency Room).

These talented individuals provided sensitive and compassionate, patient-centred care for an elderly relative who is enduring poor health.
To receive such quality care in the chaotic context of an Emergency Room and amid a high number of Covid patients makes me deeply grateful. I do not take this for granted, and a written “thank you” is certainly forthcoming!

It can be challenging to secure quality senior care in hospitals, especially in crisis times for the health care industry. So thanks are doubly due, when care is excellent and deftly handled.

Many “thank yous” to all involved.
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Equally important thanks to Parish Nurse, Laura Van Loon (RN), for helping my family navigate the choppy waters of hospital care in Covid times.
Laura is a discerning, wise, and powerful advocate for many–truly an “unsung hero” of physical, mental and spiritual health in our community.

Thank you deeply, Laura.
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Special thanks also this month to the very gifted business coach and facilitator, Deanna Litz, of “Powerful Nature Coaching and Consulting.” Deanna has coached me through the digiSMART program, as I seek local clients for my language teaching services.
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A huge thank you and SHOUT OUT to Monica Kreuger (Chief Visionary Officer), Brent Kreuger (VP) and the Team at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (PSE), whose company, Global Infobrokers, is a finalist for Saskatoon’s SABEX Award for “Business of the Year, 2022!”

CVO Monica Kreuger, who is a long-time member and also has directed both local and provincial Chambers of Commerce, VP Brent Kreuger, Administrator Elaine Mantyka, Facilitator and Coach, Deanna Litz, Bookkeeper Marie Weinkauf, Coordinator Silvana Cracogna, and Director of Chinese Operations, Grace Wang, along with a host of part-time facilitators, have undertaken colossal work on program development, and refinement throughout recent, Covid years.

Programming innovation and excellence are among the reasons the PSE has been finalized for this much-deserved award! To many of us alumni and facilitators, the PSE is already the business of this year and many more (both past and future)!

Congratulations to the Praxis Team and “Bonne chance” in the competition!
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And while we’re on the topic of entrepreneurial training, here is a renewed call to readers with entrepreneurial instincts: If you (or someone you know) is entrepreneurially minded or even  simply has “an idea for a business,” the digiSMART and startSmart programs (developed and
offered by the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship) will help you make it a reality.

Besides core training on entrepreneurial concepts and processes,
the PSE also offers deep instruction on complementary topics, including content marketing and communications.
Furthermore, a network of support continues long after Praxis programming ends.

The PSE is a forging ground for fruitful relationships with talented leaders, entrepreneurs and alumni, under the visionary leadership of Monica and Brent Kreuger, and their deeply talented and experienced team.

To learn more, contact program administrator Elaine Mantyka today at: (306) 664-0500, or email elainem@globalinfobrokers.ca
(Disclosure: I facilitate on blogging to entrepreneurs in digiSMART, on a quarterly basis, as part of my suite of teaching services.)
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Thank you to Clarity Coaching and Development CEO, Jolene Watson, for generously accommodating a recent scheduling snafu. Thank you, Jolene, and I look forward to a future conversation on Facebook marketing!
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A tip of the hat to the fine staff of the Saskatoon assisted living building, The Franklin Retirement Residence, where my family is living.
Particular thanks to the generous and very gracious Vinod, Steve, Dee, Mason, Charmaine and several others who assist senior residents with kindness.
I am grateful to them all.

There are always new businesses and entrepreneurial programs to promote.
Please write me to share your success stories!
I’m excited for what’s ahead in our entrepreneurial community.
But for now, this is a wrap for mid-September!
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ABOUT US:
Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help newcomers to Canada land better jobs and economic immigrants to secure contracts by improving their English skills; I help SMEs close more sales by communicating better; and I write the legacy stories of major
companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com). After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

Posted on

On finding calm with a new app (from Dr. Jud Brewer) in the mid-August issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

August 2022 Vol 4 Issue 8

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching ESL and Entrepreneurial Communications
“I will teach you how to tell your story”

Welcome Mid-August, 2022!

Another heat wave is upon us, this month, with temperatures expected to reach above 33 degrees Celsius, today! We might all be relieved not to live in Europe, however, where temperatures greater than 40 degrees
continue to break weather records. One of my ESL students in France has described images of drought familiar to Saskatchewanians: “brown grass, parched soil and air that is oppressively still.”

More evidence (if we needed it) of environmental degradation, due to climate change. Here at home, in happier news, the CBC announced last Friday that adult consumers in Saskatchewan (under 50 years of age) can now acquire their second Covid booster vaccinations. This is great news, as it is well overdue and remains our best defense against the “seventh wave,” now
evident in spiking infection levels in our local wastewater.

Do you find that any of life’s uncertainties—such as Covid, or a new program year—cause you anxiety? If so, keep reading!

In Article One, this month, I discuss some of the salient insights of a watershed mindfulness app, recently developed by psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Dr. Judson Brewer. Brewer and his team have named the app “Unwinding Anxiety,” picking up on the name of his earlier book on the topic (2021; reviewed in the November 2021 issue of “Tell YourStory Newsletter”).

The app dives deeply into how we turn to anxiety (unconsciously) as a “habit-loop” (i.e. a kind of easily triggered, bad habit) and shows us how to use mindfulness to break free of that. On the horizon? A healthier, happier state of being.

Then, in “Storyteller’s Corner,” we visit the blog of American etymologist, Bryan Garner, on the somewhat unflattering adjective, “embattled.” Most of the world could be said to feel “embattled” by Covid, as we enter year three.

To my valued readers: I hope these dog days of summer still give you time to sleep a little later than usual; linger over a cup of coffee a bit longer, maybe with family or friends; breathe deeply into sensations of anxiety you might otherwise try to flee. . . . . When you find inner-peace from any anxiety in your lives, I know you’ll share it with those whom you love, and with others who need it most.
Happy late summer! And may the program year that is about to launch bring you both fulfillment and peace of mind.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: On finding calm with a new app from Dr. Jud Brewer
STORYTELLER’S CORNER:  Bryan Garner and the origins of “embattled”
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
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Article One: On Entrepreneurial Wellness–Finding calm with a new mindfulness app

In a 2021 book called Unwinding Anxiety: Treat your Brain to Heal your Mind, Brown University based addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist, Dr. Jud Brewer, wrote compellingly about the depth and despair of human anxiety. (Note: I apologize for erring earlier by saying Brewer was based at Yale–he is no longer).

Brewer discussed (for the first time in a laypersons’ book) the habitual nature of anxiety, and discussed how the practice of curiosity, mindfulness and other strategies can help us to “unwind” anxiety and panic and shed unhelpful coping behaviours (e.g. OCD, overeating, gambling, alcohol and drug abuse, etc.). But the program he recommended was less than fully clear, especially to lay readers.

I’m writing this month to share that Dr. Brewer has since developed for international subscribers, a computer app, in which he defines the concept of anxiety the app will defuse, as “a feeling of worry, nervousness or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.”

As emotions go, anxiety is one of the most painful in human experience. Most of us have endured it in the past. And without being conscious about it, many sufferers only “feed it,” or “make it worse, in our efforts to make ourselves feel better.” When we feed anxiety, our minds become more and more
tightly wound up in stress and fear, even though most of those fears are unfounded and seldom come to pass.

Dr. Brewer reminds us that the human brain is wired for reward-based learning. The brain learns by identifying a “trigger,” which causes us to exhibit a particular “behaviour,” that in turn gives us a predictable “reward”: Trigger—> Behaviour —>Reward.

His app shows that reward-based learning works well when we have good experiences—and can overwhelm us, when they are bad. As Brewer says in his app, “a bad feeling triggers anxiety, we distract ourselves and we feel slightly better, temporarily, and we repeat.” Therefore, we binge on
chocolate bars, ice cream, excess gambling, smoking, drinking, etc. We get caught in what Dr. Brewer calls a “habit loop,” where we’re only distracting ourselves from the emotional sources of anxiety, and which traps us from addressing what underpins it.

In the app which was years in the making, Brewer actually illustrates how to use specific exercises, so that even people who thought mindfulness would not work for them, can learn “to pay attention to the present moment and non-judgmentally.” We learn in real time how to use curiosity, focused
breathing and other simple and effective exercises.

Amazing truths arise from the “Unwinding Anxiety” app. If you’ve ever experienced anxiety surrounding performance or relationships—or any other stressor–I encourage you to subscribe and study it for yourself:

https://unwindinganxiety.com

(Recognizing that some sufferers cannot afford private medical apps, Dr. Brewer and his team, who also staff an online community meeting place for clients, can offer short-term access, pro bono.)

When we learn the reality of how anxiety works, as he says, “we can begin to care for our minds ourselves, becoming the ‘master mechanic’ ” of them.

This is life-altering medicine, good readers, and I encourage you to explore it for yourself and to find what steps you can take to liberate you from anxiety.

Rather than trying to ignore or distract ourselves from it, we can learn how to maintain calm and sustain more joy in our lives than we otherwise would feel.

Thank you, Dr. Brewer!

And now it’s your turn. When have you experienced anxiety in this hyper-digital, fast-paced age?How have you managed it? Would you consider using an app to train yourself to restore calm and resilience?

Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . . 

Bryan Garner and the origins of “embattled”

American etymologist Bryan Garner recently discussed in his “Usage Tip for the Day,” the term “embattled.”

He tells us that “embattled” has “traditionally meant “ready for battle,” usually in reference to an aggressor whose troops and weapons are ready for fighting.” For instance, we could read: “The enemy’s army waited, embattled, for the sun to rise over the battlefield.”

But in the last 70 years, Garner writes, the adjective has taken on the sense of “beleaguered (perhaps through sound association with battered) and has been applied instead to the victim of aggression.”

We might describe former UK prime minister Boris Johnson as “embattled” during his last months of office, when his dishonest and illegal activities finally caused the Conservative party to expel him.

Closer to home, a classic example of “embattled” individuals was furnished by the “Canadian Senate expenses scandal” (also known as “Duffygate”) in 2013. Then, “embattled” senators Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and Patrick Brazeau were publicly exposed for their excessive spending habits and dubious expense claims.

The late American actress Elizabeth Taylor was seen for much of her life as an “embattled” screen icon, whose affairs, eight marriages to seven men, religious conversions, substance abuse and many years of ill health became tantalizing fodder for the tabloid press on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Embattled” is an adjective in active use. For instance, consider the following sentence (from yours truly): “After enduring years of Covid-19’s mercurial symptoms, unexpected contagion, high mortality rates, repeated testing and vaccinations, our embattled public have expressed ‘wishful
thinking’ that Covid may soon be over.”

Do you have a question, story, riddle or joke on any aspect of communications?
Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.

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SHOP NEWS:

PROMOTIONS & SHARING

And now for my favourite feature of this newsletter!

This month, I’m delighted to introduce you to the acrylic landscape painting of Saskatoon based artist, Steph Pister.

A family member recently gave me one of Steph’s remarkable landscape paintings, to beautify my office. The painting is called “Take Cover,” as rain clouds advance on the prairie horizon (shown below, with apologies for icontact’s small image size limits):

Steph describes herself as having “a passion for capturing Canadian landscapes and living skies.”

I was introduced to her work through her Facebook page, “Steph Pister Art” (@StephPisterArt), where she has more than 400 followers.

There you’ll find her remarkable vision of rural Saskatchewan, and especially of the lake country where she grew up.

She has trained with expert Robin Adair, of U of S community arts, and is highly prolific.

Steph is available for commission painting and invites inquiries over Facebook.

Make your home or office reflect some of Saskatchewan’s under-appreciated beauty and support a gifted local artist who is also a hardworking mom!

Steph’s prices also make her art affordable for gift-giving. (As they say, Christmas is right around the corner…!)

I invite you to follow her on Facebook, where she updates her large collection, frequently.
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I’m also delighted to update you on the success of cohort two of digiSMART, the latest program offered by Saskatoon’s own Praxis School of Entrepreneurship.

DigiSMART allows entrepreneurs of all ages and niches to “upskill” their digital knowledge. The program’s second cohort is fast at work, applying what they’ve learned.

And PSE Vice-President Brent Kreuger, Chief Facilitator Deanna Litz, along with alum from the startSMART program, Christina Cherneskey and I, have queued up to present special modules on digital communications
(including videos, podcasts. blogging and social media).

Now be honest: Wouldn’t your business grow faster and stronger if you could adopt these kinds of marketing? Want to use communications to tell your unique story? Here are the details!

DigiSMART has been made possible by provincial government funding, so is available FREE for business owners in and around Saskatoon.

Select from a range of 40 modules, including “basic,” “strategic” and “specialized.” Register for just one, four, or all 40 modules to build your skills toolbox!

A new cohort will shortly start. Contact program administrator Elaine at (306) 664-0500 who will answer your questions, send you the outline of modules and show you how to register.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity of the year: digiSMART!

And please spread the word to other entrepreneurs who know that upgrading their tech skills will grow their businesses!

There are always new businesses and entrepreneurs to promote. Please send me your list of faves!  But this is a wrap for mid-August!
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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.”

I now teach English as a second language (ESL) that helps new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs; I write communications documents that help SMEs to close more sales by communicating more effectively;
and I write ebooks and chapbooks that help companies share their legacies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

 

Posted on

Are you still glad to ‘live on this earth?’ On summer renewal in the July edition of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

July 2022 Vol 4 Issue 7
Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling
Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-July, 2022!

In sharp contrast to June, the last week of July has brought us hotter than seasonal temperatures in Saskatchewan, including one day of 36 degrees Celsius! But gardeners whom I know have been relieved to get some heat, after the cool and rainy days of June. Summer on the Prairies does not feel
“right” somehow, without at least one heat wave!

In Article One, in this issue, I share a new story from a different–more spiritual–perspective than usual. It features a recent visit to my church’s ecumenical camp on the southern shores of Christopher Lake (45 minutes North of Prince Albert, SK). Facing exhaustion and with depression looming on the horizon, I opted to carpool to camp, in order to “unplug” from teaching, writing and to generally escape urban life!  The insights from those five days have been an unexpected gift that I’m delighted to share with you.

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I share what sounds like a hilarious grammar game (an oxymoron, you say? Maybe not . . . ) from American grammarian, Mignon Fogarty.

And in “Shop News,” I take an “artist’s date” along Valley Road and, in addition to the delights located there, I promote three unrelated businesses which do much to improve the lives of their clients and prospects.

My wish for all of you, good readers, is that this summer will give you time to renew relationships with family and/or friends; to restore your minds with creativity; and to leave you grateful for the blessings and benefits that grace our lives, even in challenging times.

Happy summer.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: Are you still glad to live ‘on this earth?’: on summer renewal

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: The grammar game, ‘Peeve Wars’

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US
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Article One: Are you still glad to ‘live on this earth?’ On summer renewal

As an ESL teacher and business communications specialist who also contributes many hours as a family caregiver, I’m not someone looking around for things to do!

But coping with burnout and lost productivity, while also wanting to avoid the messiness of air travel in this (Covid) summer, I surprised colleagues by signing up for five days of “helping in the kitchen” at the camp of my church (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian).

Please understand that it’s not that I feel I’m “above” helping out at camp. It’s more that I haven’t expected what happens there to be relaxing–that is, a space of toddlers’ smelly diapers, kitchen fires and chaos, angry wasps, voracious mosquitoes and so on. But, hoping for something better and “itching” to leave town (haha), I made some calls . . . .

My church camp is simply called, “Camp Christopher,” and was started in the 1940s when the church purchased land on the southern side of beautiful Christopher Lake (45 minutes north of Prince
Albert, SK). For decades, the camp has run gatherings of women, men, children and families, as well as provided the meeting space for other, secular groups and organizations.

And entrepreneurs learn and gain so much when we can participate in charitable activities that are organized by capable staff. The time or labour we invest often exceeds any monetary value or payment, on both sides.

Camp Christopher is based on a spirit of “ecumenism,” or openness toward faith perspectives. Every summer, the camp provides (as its mission statement says) a “safe, caring community where all may explore faith, celebrate creation and grow in relationship with Christ.” Rooted in Christian faith, but without lapsing into dogma, fundamentalism or evangelism, youth and children’s camps are designed to build the skills and character needed for the “leaders of tomorrow.”

The camp offers a wide variety of supervised water sports, art classes, photography, movie and reading times, delectable food (three square meals plus yummy bedtime snacks!) and more. There is even “tuck,” where campers can enjoy candy and treats that return them to early childhood.
(Remember “Mr. Freezies” and blue whales, anyone?)

Camp programming has meant much to generations of youth and families, over the past 80+ years. For instance, two of the camp’s most mature counsellors–two indigenous young men from Prince
Albert–are coming into their own. Yet they declined other, more financially lucrative, summer job prospects, in order to return to camp, for a final year. Thoughts of “reconciliation” between indigenous and settler communities were open for meditation and discussion.

Donna Wilkinson (Camp Administrator, runs a group home for autistic men in Regina, working shifts that allow her to finance running the camp) and Nicole Lindgren (Camp Director and head facilitator for children and youth, who administers the property between May and October, and has worked with
youth for years) are deeply talented, resourceful women. They are also delightful to spend time with.

Hearing their memories and the camp’s “success stories” can make your hearts glow. As I found, volunteering at a grassroots camp (that still needs camperships and funds!) can help us to get “back the basics” of our lives while also helping campers to experience life-altering programming.

Camp Christopher helps participants to return refreshed and better able to make critical decisions, whether on career or family.

My five days at camp involved hard work: I helped the talented, red-seal chef Bev Redman in the kitchen (what she jokingly termed a “sous-chef” position), set tables for meals, and cleaned up afterwards. But the dramatic change of scene from Saskatoon and simple repetition of tasks helped me to feel restored, emotionally and spiritually.

I lived the comment shared by meditation expert, Sam Harris:

“Just look around you and take a moment to feel how
blessed you are—
you get another day to live on this earth.”

I hope, good readers, amid the long daylight hours of this season, that you have an opportunity to pause from the rushed pace of life, to observe summer’s unfurled beauty, and to store its warmth in your minds.
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To visit Camp Christopher, inquire about this summer’s schedule (camperships are still available), or to donate to its programming, please contact Donna Wilkinson at (306) 535-6916.

And now it’s your turn: How are you finding renewal this summer? Please share your experience with me; I’d be delighted to use it in another issue of “TYSN!”
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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . .

 

 

 

 

Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . . The grammar game, ‘Peeve Wars’

Looking for another summer escape, without leaving the patio or pool deck? Grammar and writing specialist Mignon Fogarty recently announced that she’s developed a “card game for summer fun.”

It’s called “Peeve Wars.” The object of the game is to collect the highest number of grammatical “pet peeve” cards, to annoy your opponents to “death!”

“Hi, yous all,” “I seen that already,” “Irregardless, I’ll participate,” are only three of many, offending examples that come to mind.

Only grammar heroes such as lexicographer “Noah Webster” and the game’s resident librarian will protect you!

The game can be played by two to four players, requires strategy and promises to be “different every time.”

It’s available for $15.99 (USD) from The Game Crafter.

Do you have a story, riddle or joke on any aspect of communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue.
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SHOP NEWS: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROMOTIONS and SHARING . . .

Since summer is best when it involves R&R (see “article one” of my time at camp), I thoroughly enjoyed a visit last week to Floral Acres on Valley Road, only a few days after returning from camp! Although we are now late into gardening season, with both annuals and perennials struggling in their
greenhouse, Floral Acres also boasts a huge selection of (happier!) houseplants, and lovely trade items that pertain to indoor and outdoor plant life!

Capping off the afternoon with a stop at The Berry Barn for some of their wonderful Saskatoon berry cobbler, I felt the time was what writer Julia Cameron calls an“artist’s date.” But in this case, it was enjoyed with a like-minded friend!

Have you explored Valley Road, lately?

In addition to the places we visited, it is home to Black Fox Farm & Distillery (with its famed wildflower farm), and the Robertson Valley Farm, a great source of fresh garden produce.

If you cannot leave town for long this summer, do please explore these businesses to leave behind the concrete and tedium of urban life!
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I’m delighted to update you on the success of digiSMART, the latest programming from Saskatoon’s own Praxis School of Entrepreneurship.

DigiSMART allows entrepreneurs of all kinds to “upskill” their digital knowledge.

The program’s first cohort has finished and are fast at work applying what they’ve learned.

Now: be honest. What skills do you need for your business, but haven’t had the time or money to invest in?

Taking digiSMART training has been made possible by provincial funding and so is even available FREE for business owners in and around Saskatoon!

Select from a range of 40 modules: Basic, Strategic and Specialized. Register for just one or four or 40 and build your skills toolbox.

It’s not too late to register for modules in Cohort 2, running from July through October!

Training is held at the start of the business day, from 7:15 am to 8:45 am, at 131 Wall Street (PSE Office, Saskatoon).

Going to the lake, you say? No problem! Join digiSMART via Zoom!

Special, in-depth seminars on SEO, cryptocurrency/ blockchain, podcasting, blogging and social media will be offered as the summer progresses (including by facilitators like me).

Contact Elaine (elaine@globalinfobrokers.ca) or at (306) 664-0500 to get the outline of modules and for information on how to register.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity of the summer (that will last long beyond): digiSMART!

And spread the news to other business owners who want to upgrade their tech skills in order to grow their businesses!
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A shout-out this month to freelance office furniture expert, Rory Perron, a fellow alum of the “startSMART” program at the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship.

Having years of experience in selling office furniture, Rory now leads “Local Liquidations,” acquiring and selling top-quality (pristine), matching pieces of hotel and commercial furnishings, at affordable prices.

He has the experience also to advise on layout, and can arrange for delivery and installation.

Cubicles and filing cabinets as well as smaller pieces (desks, chairs, window coverings, etc.) are available.
Rory is also appreciated for collaborating with others, including entrepreneurs at Prairie Office Moving and Installation (earlier featured in this newsletter) and has been known to run a marathon or two!
Find Rory at localliquidations.ca, or by phone at (306) 230-4177.
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Closer to home, I am enjoying teaching ESL students, involving detailed conversations spanning topics from the history of modern cinema (with a major on director, Ernst Lubitsch), to European opera to classical singing with my student, Eliane, who lives south of Paris (France).

I also teach the fundamentals of English grammar (focusing on reading and writing) to a newcomer student, who is a refugee from Eritrea.

ESL can involve such highly diverse teaching and students that I often wished I’d entered it before 2021, when I first received certification (from TEFL.org,
Inverness, Scotland).

I continue to be encouraged by TEFL’s professional webinars and blog postings that share some of the field’s diversity with those building experience, like me.

There are always new businesses and entrepreneurial programs to promote. Please write me to share your stories . . . . . .But this is a wrap for mid-July!
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ABOUT US:
Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help newcomers to Canada to secure better jobs by improving their language skills; I help small- and medium-sized businesses to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies to
tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

Posted on

Can English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers teach learners to write more effectively? On language misuse in this month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter”

June 2022 Vol 4 Issue 6

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Organizational Storytelling

Let me tell your story!

Welcome Mid-June, 2022!

We have had cooler than seasonal temperatures this month and a week of steady rain as I write this issue. But gardeners and farmers alike are mostly relieved for the moisture, which renews the parched soil of our province’s precious grasslands.

Many Saskatchewanians dread “construction” season which is all the more intense because the road and sidewalk projects from earlier Covid years have been postponed until now. But all around us the greening of the trees and grass and the recent flowering of lilacs and fruit trees have brought remarkable beauty to our neighbourhoods. I hope amid the rushed pace of your schedules, good readers, that you can find time to observe summer’s unfolding beauty and to store the season’s warmth in your minds.

In Article One, this issue, taking two public signs as examples of language misuse, I raise the question, “Can English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors teach learners to write more effectively (than we do)?”

And in “Storytellers’ Corner,” we consider etymologist Bryan Garner’s discussion on the term “disconnect,” a “casualism” in which a noun is extracted from a verb and used in informal speech and writing.

In the news are many signs of strife and difficulty, from the soaring costs of gasoline and food, due to Russia’s war on Ukraine and Covid’s disruption of our supply-management chains; to unstable and uncertain air travel in these late pandemic times. . . And yet, as many of us strive to do work that “lights us up” while also making a difference in our communities, we see that much continues to be good in our world and warrants our awareness of it.

May this summer be a time to renew relationships with your family and/or friends, good readers; and to relax enough to restore your minds and creativity; and may we all remember to be grateful for the blessings that still grace our lives.

Happy summer.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal,  Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

 

ARTICLE 1:  Can ESL instructors teach learners to write better (than we do)?

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: The case of “disconnect” with Bryan Garner

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Article One: Can ESL instructors teach learners to write better (than we do)? 

Sometimes, even in unexpected places like supermarket shelves and the doors of downtown office buildings, passersby can find evidence of poor writing–of language misuse.

Recently, while shopping for food at a discount grocer’s chain, I saw a sign that begged to be edited:

_____________

CRACKERS 

MOVED TO

MIDDLE OF 9TH

ISLE

____________

Now, since editors can occasionally sound grumpy about the poor language skills native speakers show in public places, I must first acknowledge the thoughtfulness of this sign, intended by store staff to notify shoppers that inventory was recently moved. The intention was to alleviate confusion and inefficiency for shoppers.

Since I had been looking for  whole wheat, saltine crackers, I was mostly grateful to read this sign.

That said, as you’ll have noted, the sign misspells the word “aisle” as “isle,” ironically advising shoppers to find the “9th isle” (sic), which they would (in a literal sense) be hard-pressed to locate in the dozen or more “aisles” in the store.

“Never you mind,” a voice may say in the heads of many native speakers of English: the sign does a “good enough” job of communicating where in the large store one can find those elusive baked biscuits.

The only remaining problem is that the sign also begged for some editorial fact-checking, since my visit to the store’s “9th [a]isle” told me that crackers of any kind were not there to be found! Glancing at my watch and aware of other errands queued up for the afternoon, I opted to drop the item from my grocery list, going without some food that I’d recently included in my meal planning.

“So what?” might say the voice in many shoppers’ heads: the crackers could wait for another week, during which time someone in the store (shopper or staff) would certainly have recognized the misinformation in the sign, and perhaps also its misspelling, improving accuracy, all around.

Then one short day later, when I was running errands downtown, I encountered another (arguably well-intentioned) sign that miscommunicated its message:

______________

PLEASE CLOSE

DOOR WIND

HOLDS IT OPEN

______________

The fused sentence between “door” and “wind,” which begs for punctuation, had none at all. Furthermore, the line breaks in the message (which designers or layout people might also lament) confuse the grammatical object of the action of what should be the sign’s first sentence (“door”) with the grammatical subject of what should be the sign’s second sentence (“wind”).

The hapless person who fashioned the above sign also used universal “caps lock” formatting, further confusing where one thought ends and a second begins.

This sign forces even a native (first language) speaker of English entering the doorway to read its message (at least) twice, before understanding what it may mean to say.

“Now, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill,” a reader might say, since re-reading the sign would likely still allow most pedestrians to understand its jist and so to manually close the door behind themselves.

“All’s well that ends well,” such a reader might conclude. Whoever posted the sign intended to preserve the safety and security of the building from undesirable, seasonal weather. The door was in fact closed and intact, when I came upon the sign.

“But not so fast!” (might say Saskatoon’s master editor, Wilf Popoff, who has given riveting and hilarious talks on such commonplace sloppy communication). Are these two instances of faulty signage really adequate in our already helter-skelter, fast-paced world?

One can imagine an episode of Mr. Bean, when he would lose hours in [a]isle nine, searching for saltine crackers at the supermarket; and where the door with the second sign would slap him in the face, as the wind caught it and forced it open . . . .

And who among us wants to live like Mr. Bean?

Furthermore, in my work as an English as a Second Language teacher to newcomers to Canada, I find myself feeling annoyed when I see linguistic misuse. “Get a life” some readers might say, but good communication is especially important when we teach the English language to those who are first learning what good usage in English means. That knowledge is vital, as newcomers strive to participate in our communities.

In a recent webinar, fellow italki.com ESL teacher, Emma Blackledge, observed that “teaching writing to ESL students” means “teaching good writing principles.” Whether a student is a beginner, an advanced user of English, or even a native speaker like many of us, “everyone needs better writing skills.”

Now, my reading lately as an ESL teacher has involved survival English, often referred to as “literacy” instruction. It is about communicating how to introduce oneself to others, hold a pen, open a bank account and understand what “windchill” means at the outset of a prairie winter.

Yet from my perspective, the two public signs I’ve described are valid “texts” for newcomers (and not only native speakers) to consider, because the signs invite the kind of interactive and collaborative exchanges that make language learning come alive.

Albeit for a level four to eight student (and not necessarily for a “survival” one), one lesson plan could demonstrate the importance of correct spelling and checking the accuracy of facts; another lesson could examine the importance of grammatical sentence structure in conveying a sign’s meaning . . .

So to prevent ourselves and newcomers to Canada from experiencing chaotic and unfulfilling lives (resembling Mr. Bean’s) and without disregarding the humour that can arise from faulty signage, my point is that we ALL need to demand–and teach–better language use.

And now it’s your turn: What errors have you found in public signage recently? How would you correct them if you found yourself teaching new learners of English? Please share your experiences; I’d be delighted to include them in a future issue.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: the case of “disconnect” with Bryan Garner

This month and in the context of the signage analyzed in Article One, I was interested to read in his recent blog, American etymologist, Bryan Garner, discuss the noun “disconnect.”

Garner says that “disconnect” is a short form of “disconnection,” that arose in the 1980s and became “ubiquitous after about 1995.” He writes that the term “is primarily used to label (1) a clash between what is expected and what happens; or (2) more mundanely, the failure of a connection, such as the internet, telephone, or utility.”

“Disconnect,” Garner writes, “typifies a popular trend in CASUALISM, by which an established noun (‘disconnection’) is truncated to form a new noun that looks the same as the corresponding verb, but differs in pronunciation.

The new noun has the accent on the (/dis-kә-nekt/), while the verb has the accent on the last (/dis-kә-nekt/). This pronunciation scheme follows the pattern of many standard verb-noun pairs, such as ‘contest’ and ‘progress’.”

Garner concludes (perhaps with annoyance?) that these “new forms” are not appropriate in formal writing. They also reflect a degree of English usage that is higher than that of literacy or foundational learners, but which native speakers should be aware of, so as not to confuse those learners.

Do you have a story, query or joke on any aspect of writing or communications? Please share it with me; I’d be delighted to use it in an upcoming issue. 
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 SHOP NEWS:

This summer, I am engaged in the certification process of studying the Canadian Centre for Language Benchmarks (CCLB)’s “Bootcamp,” on the theory and practice of literacy or “survival” ESL in Canada.

Reviewing multiple manuals of theory and examples, I look forward to applying this knowledge to both public and private classes of learners of ESL.

Special thanks also this month to Lindsay Matheson and Pat Kuzmik, of Saskatoon Open Door Society’s Language Training Unit, for discussing the discipline of survival ESL with me.

Since the fall of 2021, I have led a conversation circle at Open Door, including “Discover Canada” (for newcomers seeking citizenship); and, since last winter, a general “conversation circle” for newcomers, targeting Canadian Centre of Language Benchmark levels four to six (pre-intermediate to intermediate).

It’s heartening to witness more of the amazing work that local non-profits, supervisors and volunteers do in language traning; and also, how well that work is received by many of our newcomer population.

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Congratulations this month to two women entrepreneurial experts who are bringing better knowledge of (and engagement with) digital technology to our province and well beyond: Katrina German and her team at “Ethical Digital” recently piloted their “Social Media and Well-Being Certification,” to content creators who know the relevance of digital technology to everyday life (not to mention its challenges).

Katrina will officially launch the program at the IABC World Conference in New York on June 27th, when it will become a paid training option for communicators and other users.

And this past winter/spring, Monica Kreuger and her team launched the new program “digiSMART” for entrepreneurs, which teaches hands-on, market-ready technology training to people of all backgrounds who don’t want to fall behind on (ever-changing) technology use.

(Full disclosure: I will teach some business communication modules in the future of digiSMART; but I am not paid affiliate’s fees to promote Katrina’s or Monica’s programs.)

These are two amazing women entrepreneurs with powerful, specialized teams! Check out the programming both provide to witness the power of technology for entrepreneurs and their clients, on a world-class level.

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There are always new businesses and entrepreneurial programs to promote. Please write me to share yours. . . But for now, this is a wrap for mid-June!

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 ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help new immigrants to Canada to improve their English language skills, so as to secure their first or better jobs. I also help small- and medium-sized businesses to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I write chapbooks for major companies, to promote their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information:  (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

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