Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life

by Amy E. Herman

hewn

inference.

Urgent concerns scream for our attention, but they usually offer only short-term solutions. Important things contribute value in the long run. While sometimes urgent tasks are also important, more often the urgent obscures the important.

the Eisenhower Decision Matrix.

“Urgent tasks put us in a reactive mode, one marked by a defensive, negative, hurried, and narrowly focused mindset . . . When we focus on important activities we operate in a responsive mode, which helps us remain calm, rational, and open to new opportunities.”

blasé

gave a wide berth

We must be conscious of what our priorities tell others. Does our boss know the lengths we’ll go to to secure a new deal? Do our loved ones know they rank higher than our professions? Does our date know she is more important than that phone call? Do our kids know that spending time with them outweighs everything? Whether we’re aware of how we advertise our priorities or not, we are advertising them.

cacophony

gauzy

choker,

filmy

hemmed

fodder

derision

artists are inherently communicators, most compelled to share their message with the world no matter what the cost.

A generalization and another huge assumption. I really do not like her inconsistency between what she advises and her awareness of her own biases. A Sk editor could also point out the presence of these inherent assumptions.

we should view our words as the artist views paint: as a tool that must be carefully pondered and selected before use. The single decision of what colors to use is extremely important for artists. In the same way, we must decide ahead of time which words we will use when communicating to make sure we are painting the most accurate picture possible.

Subjective words can be used, albeit still carefully, in social settings, while objective should be used for everything else.

Absolutely not true. Not only the great orators and demagogues use subjective words and pathos extensively, but also there are social trends. The more objective reporting of Walter Cronkites are now replaced with Fox News and subjective, inflammatory words and remarks.

always safe objective words include numbers, colors, size, sounds, position, placement, materials, location, and time. Instead of saying “too much,” give the actual amount. Instead of “big,” include a measurement, estimation, or comparison.

SUBJECTIVE WORDS AND PHRASES TO AVOID

Obviously Clearly

Never Always

Actually

It goes without saying . . .

before we communicate we should step into the shoes of our potential audience and make sure we’re including all of the facts that would be pertinent to them but also translating that knowledge into a language that can readily be understood and accepted.

straddles

there is no difference between practice and art. The practice is the art.” In the same way, we must practice our communication skills if we are to master them. Practice will not only help us fix the things that aren’t quite ready for prime time but can also help us become more comfortable delivering our message.

go back

THE IMPORTANCE OF EDITING: WHY SAYING TOO MUCH CAN BE AS BAD AS NOT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL

Those two little words at the end of the previous section—“go back”—represent the third, and perhaps most important, stage in creating both art and communication: editing. Art is about more than just adding paint to canvas; many times it’s equally about subtracting.

“an ennobling moral compass for being a decent human being in...

“Purge regularly. Destroying is intimately connec...

How does he know when a painting is finished? “When I get the feeling that adding one more stroke would be one too many.”

Editing includes knowing how much is too much and when to leave well enough alone.

when we communicate, we need to make sure we aren’t obscuring our message with “too much” by talking too much, using too many words, or including unnecessary information.

“verbal vomit.”

Instead of telling Dan that she had gotten physical too soon in past relationships and regretted it, McCann instructed Cara to simply say, “I really like you, I just want to get to know you a little bit better. I hope that’s okay?” Instead of answering the question “Are you seeing anyone else?” with a long explanation about who and for how long, her fear of dying alone, or how she had dated half the college football team, they crafted a simple two-word answer: “Not exclusively.”

Excellent communicators are concise. They make every word count.

practice the skill of precisely distilling language,

“pew,”

“stoop,”

to conserve energy many young people wear flip-flops during Ramadan so they aren’t tempted to participate in sports.

provocative. It made me read the article to see what was going on (which is generally the purpose of a newspaper headline),

pentimento,

from the Italian word for “repentance.”

celebutante,

enamored

People will be more forgiving and patient with us when we own up to our errors and correct them as soon as we discover them. Don’t let the paint dry or the dust settle on a communication mistake. Instead, make it right as soon as possible.

the most important part of our message is also how we convey it so that it is correctly received.

The first thing we must pay attention to is how we’re framing our message with our body language and nonverbal communication.