 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Sunday, February 04, 2007
A 'Pink Elephant' is an oratory phenomena, and rhetorical error. The
speaker denies something without yet being accused of it. This invites
the audience to draw the link between the speaker and that which is
being denied - a link they might not have drawn otherwise. The speaker
thus effectively accuses themselves. For example, when a person is
asked where they got particularly expensive jacket and they respond, 'I
definitely didn't steal it'. Another example is Richard Nixon's
well-known disavowal regarding the Watergate scandal, 'I am not a
crook'.
My close friends would know that I've read this book many times, 'Drop The Pink Elephant'. And like what was mentioned above, a PInk Elephant is something very simple, yet, it makes a whole big difference to our lives if everyone was aware of the little Pink Elephants around us. There are, however, several definitions for Pink Elephant, but you can check that out yourself if you want to.
This is what the book looks like, and can be found in any major bookshop like MPH, Times, Kinokuniya etc.
Here is something I took out from the book:
"There can be no whitewash at the White House." (Richard Nixon). These
nine words turned the American nation against their President. Why?
Because people hadn't linked the White House with a cover up until
Nixon himself made the connection. His own denial created the story.
So, basically, Pink Elephants are the unnecessary negatives that clutter your
conversation and meaning, sending out the wrong signals to anyone you
communicate with.
The book teaches how to communicate more effectively, by giving a picture on what IS rather than what ISN'T. For example, if I asked you where you'd like to go, a PInk Elephant would be: "I don't want to go to the beach to eat". Instead, we should say something like, "I feel like eating chicken so let's go to somewhere that serves chicken". At least the picture is clearer. Imagine trying to land a helicopter, and the guy on the radio says "no don't land there", then again "no no you can't land there either" then again in a few minutes "no, you can't land there, it's not allowed". How annoyed would you be? Why can't the guy on the radio just say "land there where you see the sign"?.
Pink Elephants also refer to words like DID NOT,
or NO or anything negative, which we use so much in our daily
conversations. We must learn to DROP them. Why?
"I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman, Ms Lewinsky"
US
President Bill Clinton in January 1998 on his relationship with the
White House intern. Ten months later he apologized for misleading the
American people with what he said.
"Telling my story was NEVER about money"
Paul Burrell, former butler to Princess Diana, who sold his story to the Daily Mirror for a reported 300,000 pounds.
Isn't it interesting how we can make a fool out of ourselves simply by the wrong choice of words and the wrong sentence structure.
There is this cute story in the book.
A little kid was in the kitchen trying to grab the jar of cookies placed high above the kitchen shelf. Chocolate chip cookies, what little boy can resist the sight of them. He tries hard to reach for the jar, grabbing a chair, climbing onto the chair, jumping up to reach for the chocolate treasure. Suddenly, after a few attempts of jumping up and down continuously, the chair leg breaks, and he falls. Mommy comes rusing in to the kitchen, worried about what had just happened. The little boy looked innocently at his mom... "I wasn't (pink elephant) trying to get the cookies"
Nobody said he was.. he just admitted it!
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The good you find in others,
is in you too.
The faults you find in others,
are your faults as well.
After all, to recognize something you must know it.
The possibilities you see in others,
are possible for you as well.
The beauty you see around you,
is your beauty.
The world around you is a reflection,
a mirror showing you the person you are.
Show your best face to the mirror,
and you'll be happy with the face
looking back at you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
