Have you ever been to a Japanese restaurant or any other shops in Japan whereby they will greet you every moment and would serve you in a really polite manner?
Just why are they so polite and have such an excellent customer service?The answer lies in their language
People from different language communities perceive the world differently, and in this case- The Japanese. I do agree that their language has deeply influenced the Japanese perspectives.
In English we only have basic simple terms for politeness like ''Please'', ''Sir'', ''Madam'' whereby class importance is not heavily focused on. But for Japanese language,it has got many different forms of words to deal with people of different statuses. For example, they have respectful forms, keigo which is used when you're speaking with a person of a higher status than you and polite forms, teineigo which is used when talking with strangers or people you're not very familiar with. As such,these forms used on a daily basis by them have caused them to place a lot of emphasis on hierarchy relationships. In fact, one gets offended in Japan easily if the wrong form of words are used especially when you've used the wrong keigo to your superior. Therefore, the people would carefully select the correct form of words in his or her speech in order to avoid offense.
Which is also why the customer service you get in Japan is impeccable! They are aware of the clear status distinction between their job as a shopkeeper and a customer. They view customers as higher status people than themselves and would treat them like 'kings or queens'. When addressing the customers, they would add the word -sama behind their names which is a form of honorific expression.
So the next time you visit Japan, do take note of their language forms and you can see clearly just how heavy the emphasis on hierarchy relationship is=D
“When
women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country.”
- Elayne Boosler
Woman: What is he talking about?
Man: What is she talking about?
Both: I don’t get you!
Most of us have
been in this situation; we just can’t comprehend what the other gender is
talking about. If you ever suspected that this prevailing problem is due to the
differences in the anatomy of the two genders, you are not entirely wrong. The size
of the corpus collosum in a woman’s brain is reported to be larger than that of
a man’s. This means that women have the ability to transfer data between the
right and left hemisphere of the brain faster than men. Thus, while men tend to
be more left-brained, women have greater access to both sides. Recent studies
have also demonstrated that on average, women have a larger deep limbic system
than men. Due to this, women are more in touch with their emotions and are
better able to express themselves better than men. Deborah Tannen, a linguist, further
confirms this by explaining how women are more inclined to “relationally
oriented talk” aka Rapport Talk, which concentrates more on the intimate and
interpersonal topics. Men on the other hand, lean towards “task-oriented talk”
aka Report Talk. They are more direct and are far less emotional in their
conversations.
The other gaping
difference between men and women is the cultural value the two believe in. Men
stress on autonomy and individual achievement while the women value emphasis on
affection and connection. These two differing values affect topics of
conversation and misinterpretation of the other’s words.
Dr Sylvia Gearing: How To Talk To The
Other Gender
Women also tend to
“self-sabotage” says Dr Sylvia Gearing. (Video1 after 2.11) They use more
disclaimers such as “This may not make sense…” or “Don’t get mad, but..”. However,
men feel that talking about matters that
do not make sense is simply redundant. Disclaimers like these tend to confuse
men and lead them to have an impression that women are sending contradictory
messages or paradoxes which leads to miscommunication between the two genders.
So how do you talk to your partner?
Dr. Cheryl: How
Men And Women Communicate - YouTube
Dr Cheryl Fraser,
a clinical psychologist explains in this video that men should understand that
when women speak, they seek to connect. They are not really looking for solutions
but rather appreciate more if men were to plainly listen. And to the ladies out there, start by
listening like you always do and add in your two cents worth into the topic
that he brings up. He will feel grateful that you throw in practical solutions
and thus this will make him feel loved and understood. Dr Cheryl also suggested
following 30-mins a day of “stress-buffering” conversation using the insights of
how to communicate better with the opposite gender, and eventually you will
have a higher chance of having a marriage that lasts forever.
When you see the word "communication", what are some words that immediately come to your mind?
To many, communication would literally mean talking to get the messages across to another person. Then what about NOT talking? Is that not communication? Or does that mean that people who cannot talk do not communicate with one another at all?
In actual fact, non verbal communication plays a very big part in transmitting the messages across to the audiences. Research has shown that spoken words contribute 7%, tonality 38% and non verbal (facial expressions, gestures, posture, eye contact) actually accounts up to 55% of a whole conversation!
Try imagining this: You are in a lecture hall with a motivational speaker sitting at the front. He has had a very bad day so he refuses to put any enthusiasm into his presentation at all. Pointing to the big screen with a very bored expression, he starts reading off the slides. How do you feel? He could be your favorite motivation speaker of all time, but I kid you not, no matter how much you try to concentrate you will most probably not gather much from that particular talk at all.
This video below shows how difficult it is to understand what one is trying to say without facial expressions. (This lady is giving a quiz to show the contrast with and without expressions! So go grab a piece of paper and play along to see how good you are with sign languages WITHOUT FACIAL EXPRESSIONS!)
I have chosen this video on purpose just to show you that YES the mute CAN communicate as well, AND that non verbals are VERY VERY IMPORTANT as well when you're trying to get a message across! Or else a big part of your message will be lost!
See what I meant? ;)
PS. I've found a very interesting video on youtube! Check out how to read people's body language or facial expressions to see if they are lying, hiding something or if he or she is annoyed by you!
Leopards use
its spots to camouflage and blend into its surroundings; however, humans use its
unique pattern to do the exact opposite, to be prominent. Leopard prints have
been around in the fashion industry for decades. Its unique pattern is still
being used as motifs for numerous apparels and accessories.
Its design
is applied to portray a fierce and sharp look similar to the characteristics of
a leopard. Given this fact, the leopard print can be tailored to both males and
females. On the contrary, it is stereotypically a design for ladies. The
fashion industry has portrayed leopard prints as a classy and chic look suited
only for the ladies. This is similar to the stereotype which depicts the colour
pink as a symbolic representation of femininity. It makes one wonder why does
stereotyping lurk in every corner of society, even in the way we dress.
This
occurrence is termed as object language
and the way we dress is a sub-group of it. According to Desmond Morris, dress
serves three functions: comfort-protection, modesty and cultural display. Our
clothes and fashion is gender neutral; it is how society assigns meanings to it
which will determine how it is perceived. The way we dress gives others the
opportunity to judge us at face-value.
Back to the
topic of leopard prints, it is a fashion norm for ladies to adorn themselves
with leopard prints. However, for men who wear leopard prints, it affects their
credibility. The highest credibility men can achieve through dress code is by
wearing classic two-piece suits.
It is
disheartening how stereotypes can drastically affect the way we perceive
society and the things around it. We really need to shift views and be
open-minded. Though its clichéd, do not
judge a book by its cover. Let’s fight stereotypes.
A joint study by the National University of
Singapore (NUS) and Stanford University aims to reduce the volume of commuters
during peak hour on the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit system. This is done by encouraging
off-peak travel (between 6.30 and 7.30, or 8.30 and 9.30) by incentivising
commuters with credits that are redeemable for rewards, or money transfers
straight into your EZ-Link card for more travel.
The $450, 000 research study that is financially
supported by the Land Transport Authority and private companies is seeking to
enlist about 20, 000 commuters in Singapore to take part in the research.
Commuters who wish to participate in the study can
visit https://www.insinc.sg
for details.
We Say….
There may not be any immediate significant impact in
the alleviation of peak hour congestion in such a short time, but we predict
that this scheme will eventually be beneficial in the long run as it simply
takes time to effect a change in the mind-sets of commuters.
Many would say that the scheme is not effective
because working adults would not choose to “compromise their quality of life”
just to save a mere 30 cents on transport. Furthermore, these people would not
want to arrive earlier than their usual work time. However with the possible
slowdown in Singapore’s GDP and an elevation in the inflation rate for 2012,
Singaporeans would come to appreciate incentives like this—which not only help
them with saving in the long run but also ease the problem of peak hour
congestion.
Putting Aristotle’s 3 ways to sway an audience….
“No
offences but I find is very amusing.
To
solve the problem caused by the massive expansion of our population and the
lack of action by the policy makers in decentralising our workforce from the
South/CBD, the powers from above now seeks to encourage Singaporeans to forgo
an hour of their private time to go to work early. How many people out there
reports to work at 7.45am? Rather, how many companies out there are flexible
enough to allow their staff to report early and leave work early?
Well,
on the bright side, at least something is done. On the flip side, it plainly
compromises our quality of life. Again.
What's
next? The same old blame game and finger-pointing back at commuters if we don't
want to forgo an hour of private time to kindly help ease MRT congestion?
Spoilt Singaporeans, need to stuck spurs on our hides?
So
much responsibility we have here bearing the brunt of failed policy-makers.
Wish they can share their pay-cheques with us.” – Guest
I found this comment interesting as the commenter
identified a number of valid points on the scheme that has been implemented. We
shall now use Aristotte’s 3 main ideas (ethos, pathos, logos) to analyse it.
Ethos: Credibility (through personal
character)
“To
solve the problem caused by the massive expansion of our population and the
lack of action by the policy makers in decentralising our workforce from the
South/CBD, the powers from above now seeks to encourage Singaporeans to forgo
an hour of their private time to go to work early.”
I feel this comment lacks ethos and hence might not
be as persuasive to the readers. While it is true that pathos and logos are
used in the source, ethos still plays a very big part in ensuring that readers
do not feel that the writer is being too bias or one-sided. Aristotte has
theorized that pathos cannot be used alone as it will be seen as being too
emotional and thus reduces the credibility of the source, and hence ethos
should be present to show the objectivity.
Pathos: Emotional
“The
same old blame game and finger-pointing back at commuters if we don't want to
forgo an hour of private time to kindly help ease MRT congestion? Spoilt
Singaporeans, need to stuck spurs on our hides?”
Pathos
is a very powerful tool in the arts of persuasion. In this case, we can see
that the writer has incorporated pathos throughout his text to allow the
readers to identify with his stand on the subject and hence feel what he is
feeling. By stating that the following scheme “plainly compromises our quality
of life. Again.” we can see the writer’s unhappiness with the project,
especially when the word ‘again’ is used to emphasize his frustration. Furthermore,
the use of sarcasms coupled with rhetorical questions throughout his text—‘What’s
next?’—also shows his dissatisfaction and resentment.
Also,
the commenter is persuading readers by appealing to their emotions. After-all,
this comment of spoilt Singaporeans need to stuck spurs on our hides’ said by
LKY have outraged many. By reusing this crude comment to support his or her
views, the commenter could once again reignite the fury or disagreement felt in
many people, making them believe his or her view is acceptable.
Logos: Logical
“How
many people out there reports to work at 7.45am? Rather, how many companies out
there are flexible enough to allow their staff to report early and leave work
early? “
“Well, on the bright side, at least something
is done. On the flip side, it plainly compromises our quality of life.”
By using logos in the speech, people will be much
easier to be won over by the logical arguments. It’s true that just because
there is a discount, commuters would not necessary want to travel early when their
work starts late. Furthermore it is logical to argue that companies would most
probably not be willing to make any changes to the working time, as it would
mean that they have to pay their workers more.
We Decode…
“I
think that this is a step in the right direction.
I
agree with many comments that most people do not want to get into office early.
However, this fare is not trying to change everyone's behaviour. If everyone
rides earlier, the peak hour will become earlier and the problem stays.
This
solution takes advantage of the fact that people have different schedules and
constraints. Some people are more flexible with their work hours; some people
don't mind getting breakfast after the ride. The idea is, out of 100 people, as
long as 5 people change their behaviour the problem is alleviated.
…
I
recommend that more be done to stretch the impact of the discount…” - Clay
The
aspect which makes this comment striking is its well thought and structured
response. It gives insight to how the commenter decodes and perceive the
intention of SMRT. The overall comment comes across as an objective feedback
aimed to assist or improve the scheme, something which other comments lacked in
greatly.
The commenter was able
to identify the purpose with ease. In fact, he also provided his personal
opinion on the issue, agreeing to SMRT’s new initiative. His opinion was not
something crafted after 10seconds of face-value judgement; his opinion held
value and many would find it relatable or agreeable.
He has interpreted and
evaluated the information provided based on its merit and intentions. Not only
did he make evaluation, he also went the extra mile by recommending possible
measures that may aid in the implementation of the scheme. It is constructive
feedback as shown? above which most service providers like SMRT would
appreciate.
Understanding of
effective communication between the service provider and customers is desirable
and can be achieved. In the above comment, he has to a certain extent achieved
effective communication by decoding SMRT’s message and was “of the same mind”.
In short, constructive
and objective comments of this type are insightful but scarce.
