Names are Important
One of my pet peeves in Toastmasters is people who don't know the difference between a podium and a lectern. I inherited this from another Toastmaster who left the club to join another. I used to go into a full body cringe whenever someone mixed the two up. I've come a long way, now I only inwardly cringe.
Last Thursday a newer member mixed this up not just once, but twice. I did my slight inward cringe and said nothing out loud. After the meeting, I heard someone who had been a member longer announce that it really didn't matter whether it was a podium or a lectern. The names don't matter. She might have said it to make the newer member feel better. She might also have said it, knowing how I feel on the subject, to press my button. What she did do is give me some pondering material for the drive home.
I have always been a stickler for proper names and titles, because I believe that names are important.
I learned this when I was younger. My brother, sister and I all have names that start with the same letter. As a result we have the same initials. This caused a bit of confusion when we were all in school. We'd get mail addressed to S. Story. Was it Sam Story, Sophie Story or Sandra Story? Our grades would get mixed up. It was aggravating.
I became interested in journalism while in high school and later worked on the college newspaper. If the first rule of journalism is report only the facts, the second rule has to be get the names right. Many an editor has had to issue corrections when names have been mixed up, incorrect or omitted. As a copy editor,cutline and headline writer, I spent many hours making sure we had the names of people in pictures correct.
Once I got out of college I applied for a job with a national pharmacy chain. I received a letter back from them addressed to Sophie Smith. I was a little ticked off. I had taken great care to address my cover letter to the correct person and made sure that I spelled his name correctly. My name was typed out on the resume and the cover letter. It's not a difficult name. I felt that I had offered respect and was given disrespect. I decided I was never going to work for that company.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and it's members are commonly called Mormons. This word is misleading. Mormon is one of the books that we believe to be scripture. We do not worship Mormon. Many think that we are not a Christian faith. We are, it says so right in the name, Church of Jesus Christ. The correct name tells you something about the church. It's important in other denominations as well. The beliefs of a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America differs a bit from those of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. There are also, according to Wikipedia, 16 different churches that use the word "Catholic" in their name, but are not in communion with the Roman Catholic church. Knowing the name is important because not all groups having the same name share the same beliefs.
In medicine names are very important. When I got out of school a new drug called "Losec" came onto the market. It was the first is a class of drugs that blocked stomach acid. The problem was that is sounded a lot like another drug called "Lasix", a diuretic. Both drugs are dosed once a day and come in a 20 mg dose. The two names were mixed up so much that "Losec" became Prilosec. The name of a drug can tell you what class it is in which tells you what it's structure is and how it works. Getting the name of drug right could be the difference in a person getting the correct treatment or not. Knowing the difference between acetaminophen with codeine 3 and acetaminophen with codeine 4 could be the difference in someone getting adequate pain control or an overdose. Accuracy in names is vital.
I agree the world is not going to come to an end if someone doesn't know the difference between podium, dais, rostrum, platform, lectern, pulpit, stand or ambo. It's the principle. Names are important. Using the correct name shows respect, differenctiates between groups and insures accuracy. If we observe this in small things it will become a habit in all things.
I agree that names are important, proper names doubly so, and that getting the correct word is vital - particularly when you are composing. Words are the colors we use to paint a picture when we write. If you use podium in your story, your readers will visualize a the speaker stepping up onto the platform that is the base for the lectern. The image building in a reader's mind my not be the one you are trying to create. For example, a speaker on a podium is not free to wander about, unlike the speaker who stands behind a lectern. While I am particular about my word choices however, I believe it is also valuable to find balance in their use. When the object, in this case podium or lectern, is right in front of you, what is meant is obvious to the viewer. (The only problem in that moment is for someone who knows neither word and is learning an incorrect definition.)
ReplyDeleteWhile it is useful to say what we mean, not just kind-of, sort-of what we mean, if we wish to communicate effectively, it is also advantageous that we not cripple ourselves with our exactness. e.g. If you continually have to stop and think to find the perfect word, your point will be lost in the delivery. And while a person may choose to be precise with their speech, when we impose our exacting requirements for word use on others we can stunt their communication and even alienate them, (It is not fun to be constantly corrected when you talk.) I do believe our Toast Master's group has evolved a merry way to highlight the importance of word use while demonstrating my point regarding delivery. Saying "podium" and being corrected has become right-of-passage for new members; one accompanied by smiles, laughter, and acceptance. At the same time, it is an interruption and can derail the speaker. When it occurs too often, it becomes an irritant to the audience.
Finally, and to my mind most importantly, beyond a wholesome discipline, I don't believe the exactness of our language is worth hypertension and ruining one's mood for the day. When using an incorrect word can be hurtful or dangerous, as in the case of names for people or medications, everyone should strive for perfection. Apart from that, I choose to look at the misuse of words as an opportunity for growth in myself, a reminder of what I wish to avoid, and a moment for merriment.
I promise that when we are chatting I will never correct you when you say tennis shoe when you mean sneaker or stop you when you are actively engaged in a run-on sentence.
X "Dana"