Traveling Light Ezine

August 22, 2008

Hi!

Welcome to the twenty-third edition of Jennifer Selby Long's Traveling Light. Are you blessed with the talent and opportunity to lead? Traveling Light will skyrocket your impact and lighten the load in your life. It's based on the work of executive coach and management consultant Jennifer Selby Long.

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Fun with Words: How to Sound as Intelligent as You Are

Since it's the last two weeks of August and everyone's out of the office, I thought those of us who are working could have some fun with language.

Gain an edge over your slacking, vacationing colleagues with the proper use of these commonly butchered terms:

When referring to bringing in new people with fresh ideas, we are not seeking fresh blood, we are seeking new blood. Fresh blood implies a lioness eating her kill, or a vampire. Gross.
Businesspeople should rarely flush out anything. Besides the obvious allusion to a toilet, this phrase is a hunting term (there's that fresh blood issue again). It's what hunters do to scare birds out of their hiding places. Unless you're doing an investigation into corporate corruption, don't use the term flush out. The term you probably want is "flesh out," which means to add more depth and detail.
One never has a brainstorm. It's a verb. One has ideas while brainstorming, but the ideas themselves are just ideas, not brainstorms of their very own. Eventually this word will make it into the vernacular as a noun, but for the time being, business people should use it only as a verb.

I hear these three mistakes more than any others. What language gaffs do you hear? I would love to hear from you!

And Now Prince Charming and I are off to the Ball

Every year, no matter how busy we are, Kirk and I get all dolled up to attend the annual San Francisco Symphony Gala dinner with Symphonix League President Barry Shotts.

Symphony Galad 2007 It's so elegant to sip champagne and eat itty bitty appetizers, and then dine in City Hall. Next, we walk across the street to Davies Hall to attend a performance featuring a star soloist. Last year, it was Renee Fleming, who sang so beautifully, I cried. This year it's pianist Yefim Bronfman playing Rachmaninoff.

For the late night crowd, there is an enormous dessert spread and bands playing in a huge tent by Davies Hall and at City Hall. The party starts after the concert and continues until the wee hours.

The Gala is September 3, which also happens to be my birthday. What a classy way to celebrate!

Interested in joining us at the Symphonix President's table? There are only three seats left, first come, first served. One additional seat may be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

You can get more information about the Symphonix dinner at: http://www.sfsymphonix.com/events.asp.

Do give me a heads-up if you want to join us so we can be sure your name card is placed at our table.

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Jennifer Selby Long
Selby Group

Email: Jennifer.selby@selbygroup.com
Web: www.selbygroup.com

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