viernes, 22 de marzo de 2024

Eastern

The origins of the Easter bunny and hiding colored eggs as part of Easter celebrations are not entirely clear. The Easter bunny is thought to have originated from German folklore, where it symbolizes fertility and new life, which are also themes associated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The tradition of hiding colored eggs may have pagan roots, as eggs have long been associated with springtime and renewal.



As for observing the 40 days of Lent leading up to Easter, it is a practice followed by many Christians as a period of fasting, reflection, and spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter. Some people choose to give up something or take on a new spiritual practice during this time. However, not everyone observes Lent in this way, as it is not a requirement in all Christian denominations.


The 40 days before Easter are called Lent. Lent is a season of fasting, prayer, and penitence in many Christian traditions leading up to Easter Sunday. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday.

During Lent, many Christians choose to give something up as a form of sacrifice or penance, such as certain foods, habits, or activities. Others may take on additional acts of service, prayer, or reflection. Lent is also a time for increased attendance at church services, particularly on Sundays and during Holy Week.

In addition, some churches hold special events and services during Lent, such as Lenten study groups, extra prayer services, and fasting days. Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter, is particularly significant, with special services and observances for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil.

Individuals and families may also choose to observe Lent through personal practices such as daily devotions, fasting, or special acts of charity.

Whether or not someone observes Lent is a personal choice based on their religious beliefs and traditions. Some Christians from different denominations choose to observe Lent, while others may not.

lunes, 15 de enero de 2024

Active Listening or “How to Become a Better Listener”.

 I have taken the liberty to quote and correct a few minor things in a long paragraph about Robin Abrahams and Boris Groysberg  Harvard Business School article from Amy Gallo about ACTIVE LISTENING.

This is of great help to my students. Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of the Women at Work podcast, and the author of two books: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict. She writes and speaks about workplace dynamics. Watch her TEDx talk on conflict and follow her on LinkedIn. 

Active listening is when you not only hear what someone is saying but also attune to their thoughts and feelings. It turns a conversation into an active, non-competitive, two-way interaction. Here’s how they define each aspect in their article, “How to Become a Better Listener”:

  • Cognitive: Paying attention to all the information, both explicit and implicit, that you are receiving from the other person, comprehending, and integrating that information
  • Emotional: Staying calm and compassionate during the conversation, including managing any emotional reactions (annoyance, boredom) you might experience
  • Behavioral: Conveying interest and comprehension verbally and nonverbally

They write, “Getting good at active listening is a lifetime endeavor. However, even minor improvements can make a big difference in your listening effectiveness.”

This metaphor from leadership consultants Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman might also help understand what active listening is: “You’re not a sponge merely absorbing information. Instead, think of yourself more like a trampoline that gives the speaker’s thoughts energy, acceleration, height, and amplification,” they write. Here’s how to become a so-called trampoline listener.

How to Practice Active Listening

1. Understand your default listening style.

One of the misconceptions around this soft skill is that there is one way to do it — you’re either listening or you’re not. But, as authors Rebecca Minehart, Benjamin Symon, and Laura Rock write, there are different styles that you need to be able to shift between, depending on the speaker’s needs.

First, it’s important to reflect and ask, “How do I usually listen?”

Minehart and her coauthors, in their work in the healthcare field, observed four distinct listening styles:

  • A task-oriented listener is focused on efficiency and shapes a conversation around the transfer of important information.
  • An analytical listener aims to analyze a problem from a neutral starting point.
  • A relational listener seeks to build connections and understand and respond to the emotions underlying a message.
  • A critical listener typically judges both the content of the conversation and the speaker.

You may, out of habit, default to one of these modes in most situations. And that’s ok. The key is to develop the awareness to understand which mode you typically use.

Knowing your default style can help you make a conscious, deliberate choice about whether to use that style or choose a different mode that’s more appropriate for the specific situation.

2. Make an active, conscious choice about how to best listen.

To determine how to best listen in a particular conversation, ask yourself these questions:

Why do I need to listen right now?

Reflecting on the goals of each particular conversation — both what you want and what the other person needs — can help you determine the best way to listen at that moment. You may realize that a different mode (or combination of modes) would be better. Is a family member needing emotional support or is a coworker hoping for an honest critique? Using empathy to think about what the other person might need from your conversation can provide clues as to how you can best listen at that particular moment.

Who is the focus of attention in the conversation?

Sharing your own personal stories can help establish connections and validation, but it’s important to avoid steering the conversation away from the speaker so they don’t feel unheard or dismissed. All too often, we prevent ourselves from truly being able to listen deeply because of our own insecurities or head-trips — like emotional discomfort or being worried about how confident or prepared we might seem to the other person. With practice, quieting that internal monologue will leave more space to hear what the other person is actually saying.

Why am I talking?

While we all sometimes start rehearsing our response while the other person is talking, it’s counterproductive to effective communication. This question reminds us to listen without an agenda so that we can process what the other person is saying. Remind yourself that you can form your thoughts once you’ve heard what they say.

At the same time, you don’t want to be distracted by your attempts to be present. As Abrahams and Groysberg write, “Eye contact, attentive posture, nodding and other nonverbal cues are important, but it’s hard to pay attention to someone’s words when you’re busy reminding yourself to make regular eye contact. If these sorts of behaviors would require a significant habit change, you can instead, let people know at the beginning of a conversation that you’re on the non-reactive side, and ask for their patience and understanding.”

At some point in the conversation, you’ll likely need to share your perspective but, for now, take in what they have to say. Avoid hijacking the interaction. It’s far better to ask questions — it makes the other person feel listened to and increases your comprehension. If you can stay present without judgment or an agenda, you have a better chance of truly hearing what’s being said.

Am I still listening?

One of my worst listening habits is deciding that I understand what the person’s point is before they finish talking and tuning out. I might even give in to the temptation to multitask. My logic? I’ve already heard their main ideas, there’s no harm in checking my email real quick. Wrong! It’s not enough to put down obvious distractions (mobile phones) at the beginning of the conversation. You need to stay focused.

And, remember it’s not just devices or other external things that distract us. It might be your own thoughts or emotions. So if you find your mind wandering, bring your attention back. I find a mantra helpful: “I can deal with that later. Right now, I’m here.” Meditation can improve your ability to do this as well.

If you do find your attention pulled away, and you missed something the other person said, don’t try to forge ahead as if you know what they’re talking about (another bad habit of mine). It’s ok to interrupt them and say: “I think I missed what you just said. Could you repeat your last point?”

Taken from Havard Business review for my students

c.f. https://hbr.org/2024/01/what-is-active-listening

jueves, 16 de noviembre de 2023

Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices (continued)


1. a discourse that is not part of an argument.
2. lectures heard only by disciples of a school, and not intended to be written down.
spoken disquisition; a monologue.
Obsolete. 1. paronomasia.
2. alliteration. Also called agnomination, annomination.
tendency to longwindedness. — aeolisdc, adj.
the repetition of a sound, especially a consonant, for rhetorical or poetic effect. Also called adnomination, agnomination, annomination. — alliterative, adj.
1. a particular or special way of speaking.
2. a formal address or speech.
in debate, an appeal by the speaker to his opponents or to the audience for an opinion of the point.
device in which an unimportant word or the beginning of a phrase in one sentence is repeated in the following sentence, often with a change or extension of the sense. Cf. epanastrophe.
the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of two or more successive verses or clauses, as the repetition of Blessed in the Beatitudes. Cf. epanaphora, epiphora. — anaphoral, adj.
rhetorical device in which the usual word order of a phrase or sentence is reversed.
adnomination.
rhetorical device in which the same word is repeated but with a different sense each time. See also grammar.
the switching of the terms of an antithesis.
the use of a word in a sense opposite to its proper meaning. — antiphrastic, antiphrastical, adj.
the proposing of opposing doctrines or contrasts. — antithetic, antithetical, adj.
spoken or written figure in which an assertion is made in the midst of a denial, as in Mark Antony’s funeral speech for Caesar. Also called paralipsis. — apophasic, adj.
sudden breaking off in the middle of a sentence as if unable or unwilling to proceed. — aposiopetic, adj.
variety of personification in which the dead, absent, or inanimate are addressed as if present. — apostrophic, adj.
manner of speech in which the speaker continually interrupts his train of thought and continuity of subject by interjecting subordinate ideas and comments. — apostrophist, n.
manner of speech, writing, or architecture distinguished by excessive ornamentation or floridity. — Asiatical, adj.
resemblance of sound, particularly vowel sounds, occurring in words of close proximity.
polite and ingenious irony.
rhetorical device in which conjunctions or other connecting words are omitted, produced a staccato, emphatic effect. — asyndetic, adj.
futile repetition in speech or writing.
reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases, as “flowers are lovely, love is flowerlike” (Coleridge). — chiastic, adj.
the art of dinner conversation. — deipnosophist, n.
figure of rhetoric in which arguments are considered from different viewpoints and then turned to make one point.
Obsolete, an excuse or justification.
rhetorical device in which an orator deals with things in terms of events and their consequences.
sudden, inflamed exclamation, used for emphasis or to capture the attention.
1. the art of public speaking.
2. the manner or quality of a person’s speech.
3. Rare. the act of speech.
4. Obsolete, eloquence.
1. a person skilled at public speaking.
2. a teacher of elocution.
graceful, forceful, or persuasive speech. — eloquent, adj.
figure of speech in which an orator or writer ends a sentence with the same word with which it was begun. Cf. anadiplosis.
1. the repeating of a phrase or sentence in reverse order.
2. a return to the main topic or heading after a digression.
repetition of the same word or phrase after other words have intervened.
rhetorical device consisting of repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences. Cf. anaphora.
device in which the end of one clause is made the beginning of the next. Cf. anadiplosis.
rhetorical device in which something just said is repeated and stronger or more apt words are substituted.
the repetition of a word or words at the end of two or more successive clauses, phrases, or verses, as “I should do Brutus wrong and Cassius wrong.” Also called epistrophe. Cf. anaphora.
manner of phrasing a question that presupposes an answer that is either a strong affirmative or, more often, a strong negative.
the beginning or introductory part of a book or other printed work, or of a discourse.
high-flown, bombastic style of writing or speaking. — fustianist, n.
the immediate repetition of a word, phrase, sentence, etc., for emphasis and rhetorical effect.
an elaborate, florid, intricate style of writing, after Góngora y Argote.
rhetorical device in which a complex idea is expressed by two substantives joined by a conjunction instead of by a substantive qualified by an adjective.
the art of sacred speaking; preaching. — homiletic, homiletical, adj.
sermon or serious admonition. — homilist, homilete, n.
rhetorical device consisting of the repetition of the same case endings, inflections, etc., at the end of phrases.
device of rhetoric in which like-sounding words, syllables, or phrases are used at the end of succeeding sentences or lines.
the deliberate movement for effect and emphasis of one of a group of nouns from a more natural position to one less natural, as Virgil’s “the trumpet’s Tuscan blare” for “the Tuscan trumpet’s blare.” — hypallactic, adj.
rhetorical device in which the usual or expected word order is inverted.
1. an obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “She’s as big as a house.” Cf. litotes. — hyperbolic, adj.
1. the use of hyperbole, or exaggeration.
2. a hyperbolic or exaggerated statement. — hyperbolist, n.
the use of colorful description or word-picturing.
figure of speech in which what logically should come last comes flrst, as “bred and bom” and “thunder and lightning.” Also called hysterology.
tendency to use few words to express a great deal; conciseness. — laconic, adj.
Archaic. 1. the use ofexcessively learned and bombastic terminology.
2. an instance of this language style. — lexiphanic, adj.
an understatement, especially one in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary, as in “it’s not unpleasant.”
style of language in which Latin words are mixed with vernacular words, some of which have Latin endings affixed to them, as skato, slippere, falli, bumptum. macaronic , adj.
discourse that is fruitless or in vain. — mataeologian, n. — mataeological, adj.
an expressive understatement, especially litotes. — meiotic, adj.
transition from one subject to another. Also metabola, metabole. — metabatic, adj.
rhetorical device in which a word that is used figuratively is taken through a succession of its different meanings or two or more tropes are united in the use of a single word. — metaleptic, adj.
rhetorical or stylistic device in which one thing is named or referred to by the name of another, related thing; for example, the use of White House for the presidential administration. — metonym, n. — metonymous, metonymic, metonymical, adj.
euphemism. See also attitudeslanguage style.
rhetorical device or figure of speech in which contradictory or opposite words or concepts are combined for effect. — oxymoronic, adj.
the immediate repetition of a word for emphasis, as “the living, the living, he shall praise thee” (Isaiah 38:19).
concession made by a speaker to an opponent in order to strengthen his own position. — paromologetic, adj.
the use of a word in different senses or the use of words similar in sound for effect, as humor or ambiguity; punning. Also called adnomination, agnomination, annomination.
speech, figure of speech, or rhetorical device aimed to stimulate the passions.
1. a roundabout way of speaking or writing; circumlocution.
2. an expression in such fashion. See also language— periphrastic, adj.
the attribution of personality to an inanimate object or abstraction, as “the table tripped me.” Also called prosopopoeia— personificative, adj.
an oration or declamation full of bitter and accusatory invective, named after the orations of Demosthenes attacking Philip of Macedon.
1. the use of unnecessary words to express an idea; redundancy.
2. an instance of this, as true fact.
3. a redundant word or expression. — pleonastic, adj.
the anticipating and answering of an opponent’s possible objections. — procataleptic, adj.
preliminary remark or introduction, as to a speech; the foreword to a book or treatise. — prolegomenary, prolegomenous, adj.
paronomasia.
1. a teacher of rhetoric.
2. one skilled in the art of rhetoric.
3. a speaker who overuses rhetorical devices, especially a bombastic or overelaborate orator.
style of speaking or writing characterized by bitter, contemptuous, or scornful derision.
1. Ancient Greece. a teacher of rhetoric, philosophy, etc.; hence, a learned person.
2. one who is given to the specious arguments often used by the sophists.
1. the teachings and ways of teaching of the Greek sophists.
2. specious or fallacious reasoning, as was sometimes used by the sophists.
the use of a word with the same syntactic relation to two adjacent words, in a literal sense with one and a metaphorical sense with the other, as in “the ships collided, and the sailors and many dreams were drowned.” — sylleptic, adj.
the contraction of two adjacent vowels into one syllable, as by elision.
the making of a concession that will leave one’s opponent open to a sharp retort. — synchoretic, adj.
rhetorical device that emphasizes the comparison of opposites; contrast.
the use of a part for a whole or a whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in “a Rockefeller” for a rich man or “wheels” for transportation. — synecdochic, synecdochical, adj.
the style of speaking that utilizes synecdoche.
the setting forth of propositions or principles. — thetic, thetical, adj.
trite, commonplace or hackneyed saying, expression, etc; a platitude.
person who explains the Scriptures in terms of tropes, or figures of speech.
1. the use of flgurative language in writing.
2. a treatise on figures of speech or tropes. — tropologic, tropological, adj.
the use of a word grammatically related to two adjacent words, but inappropriate for one of them, as in “he loved both his wife and his wallet.” — zeugmatic, adj.

C.F.:Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices. (n.d.) -Ologies & -Isms. (2008). Retrieved November 16 2023 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Rhetoric+and+Rhetorical+Devices
hetoric and Rhetorical Devices. (n.d.) -Ologies & -Isms. (2008). Retrieved November 16 2023 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Rhetoric+and+Rhetorical+Devices