I’ve lost the original thought, to my shame, but it’s the most helpful conversation concept I’ve encountered in a long time: Conversation as improvisation. It’s not the most intuitive framework for conversation. For me, my fallback structure for conversation is a different concept: Conversation as competition. That concept doesn’t imply that I try to “win” … Continue reading On conversation as improvisation
Tag: metaphor
On finding hope in the dark of the theater
For me, the heart of Rebecca Solnit’s book Hope in the Dark is a metaphor that appears partway through the slim volume. In the run-up to what is sure to be a rollercoaster of an election, I have taken a lot of comfort in this masterful metaphor. “Imagine the world as a theater. The acts … Continue reading On finding hope in the dark of the theater
On admitting I don’t understand architecture
Over the past few years, this has become a problem (or an opportunity, depending on how you look at it)—I don’t really understand architecture. As someone who isn’t an architect, that may not sound like a problem. However, as someone who sells architecture—or, more accurately, who sells the experience of working with architects—it's a pain … Continue reading On admitting I don’t understand architecture
What “box” are we talking about when we “think outside the box”?
Think outside the box has to be one of the most overused pieces of business jargon out there. In my less than decade-long career, I've lost count of the number of times someone has encouraged me to "think outside the box." In researching a separate post about metaphor, I was reading a blog post on … Continue reading What “box” are we talking about when we “think outside the box”?
Is the ideal RFP/Q response a “crystal goblet”?
There's a wonderful metaphor from Beatrice Warde, one of the foundational figures in 20th-century typography, about the use of typography, that really resonates with me. Warde published an entire book on this idea, but here is just a taste: Imagine that you have before you a flagon of wine. You may choose your own favourite … Continue reading Is the ideal RFP/Q response a “crystal goblet”?
Why ER’s “give me the bullet” catchphrase might be a bad idea
Over the past month, my wife and I have made an episode (or two) of ER a staple of our evenings. In our pandemic era of complex public health policy, there is a strange pleasure in watching fictional medical personnel execute the routines of emergency medicine over and over again. One thing we have noticed … Continue reading Why ER’s “give me the bullet” catchphrase might be a bad idea
Being aware of metaphors that we live by
A few months ago, I skim-read Metaphors We Live By, by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, a fairly academic treatise on the use of conceptual metaphor in language, a book regarded as seminal in the field of metaphor studies (it's a thing!) and in the more broader field of cognitive linguistics: . This short but … Continue reading Being aware of metaphors that we live by
On the “controlled flight into terrain”
The other day I was reading a New York Times article about the power outages in Texas and the potential troubles ahead for the Texas G.O.P., when I encountered a strange phrase: ...energy experts say that state regulators appointed by the Republican governors in power for decades in Texas have been loath to do anything … Continue reading On the “controlled flight into terrain”
Taylor Coe 