When tone is more important than content

Funny Stuff

I interrupt our series on communicating with intimacy to bring you a long overdue bit of Friday Silliness. In today’s lesson, Toby Turner – also known as the YouTube personality Tobuscus – demonstrates how tone can completely contradict content.  Alliteration aside, it is a useful lesson. Tobuscus: Dramatic Song   Does your chorus sound like Coldplay?

The bandwagon of uncertainty

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You know, like, totally whatever? That aggravating upwards lilt of the voice makes you sound like an non-confident teen girl.  I will be merciless when it comes to stripping you of that most wretches of speaking habits! I will also make you watch Taylor Mali’s brilliant freestyle poetry on that very topic. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGAMd-tT6fQ&w=420&h=315] Y’know.

The Perfect Guide to Holiday Etiquette

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For my American friends,  here is a guide to holiday dinner etiquette.  Note the hilarity that can be created by using technically correct words in an unexpected context.   Or just have fun with the sheer puerile nature of this offering.  Don’t show it to your kids.   [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFzz6EZmkq8&w=560&h=315]

How to tell when it’s time to shut up

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Have you ever wondered how to tell when it’s time to shut your gob?   Causing a child to cry is a pretty good indication: Dear Little Girl: Sorry We Made You Cry About ‘Bronco Bamma’ and Mitt Romney.   Poor thing.  I’ve felt that way during truly atrocious presentations.   Incidentally, Canadian news gets…

When newscasters pray

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Today’s dose of silly provides both hilarity and a lesson. The hilarity occurs within the first 1:30 of the video, a double dose of writhing embarassment at Romney’s awkwardness and a laugh-out-loud moment at the newscaster’s reaction. This is followed up by a good commentary about keeping true to your style and personality when speaking…

Muscle madness

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Old Spice: the bodywash that makes my husband stink like a dog in a swamp but that has one of the best advertising departments ever. Here’s one of their latest interactive internet ads.  I’m not even going to try to cleverly tie this to a communication quip.  All I can say is that it made me…

But how does it sound?

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Voice quality is a very, very important thing.  A beautifully timbered voice can make the foolish sound clever.  A juvenile, chirpy tone can make the experienced professional seem like an vacuous twit. And a well-placed voice over can turn a touching scene into this: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfAww-6X2Ig&w=420&h=315] This is an old video, but I laugh myself…

I can has poker face?

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Control over your facial expressiveness is a boon.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the ability to let your face show people what you want when you want is worth many, many hours of embarrassing practice in front of your bathroom mirror. The importance of this skill is demonstrated beautifully by Denver…