ProMentor -- Fulfilment newsletter #27

	Fulfilment
Issue # 27: Seeing only the world we can describe	20 November 2008

I enjoy the occasional glass of red wine. A nice Pinotage at a dinner party works well for me. But I'm not a wine aficionado -- I would probably only notice that it's a 1995 and not a 2005 by reading the label. Or by the size of the bill if we're eating out.

But to a wine-taster's educated palate, each subtle flavour and aroma can be described, leading the wine-taster to correctly name the year of harvest by smell and taste alone. Through distinctions that can be named, the wine-taster has a far greater awareness of a wine's attributes than I do.

It also makes "nice Pinotage" an insult to the 1995 and relegates me to the ranks of ignorant proletariat. And I'm struck from the invitation list for the next dinner party.

"We do not describe the world we see, but we see the world we describe." Joseph Jaworski poignantly offers this perspective in his book Synchronicity: the Inner Path of Leadership. It's one of my favourite quotes that formed my realisation of how much I'm stuff not aware of.

So because I can't name them, I have much less awareness of the distinctions between the wine's complex flavours. I just don't "see" as much of the wine as the expert.

What in the world can you see that you cannot describe in some way? Email me and let me know if you find something you've noticed that you can't describe.

Our language is both descriptive and generative. We not only describe what was or what is; we design our future and create our reality through the language we choose.

For most people, language is invisible and, if we see only the world we can describe, language is simultaneously destructive and limiting.

My grade 7 English teacher might be proud (or surprised) to know how much I now appreciate what I resisted learning in her English classes.

With the focus on language in this month's Fulfilment, we explore the role of language in who and how we are. First up, we welcome Cheryl Hewson's first contribution to Fulfilment as she offers insight into the power of metaphor to inspire imagination and creativity.

Corné Mac Kenzie then offers us a view of language through the lens of ontology. If you want to know the source of learning, try answering Corné's challenge in her article, Will the witness please wake up? (Hint: you'll find a clue to this in ProMentor's tag line of "Reflect. Learn. Take Action.")

Lastly, it's not just the past-their-best-before-date copywriters at advertising agencies who need to find more meaningful ways to get their message across. In our last article this month, I take a wry look at how we use language to make the world meaningful or, sometimes, meaningless, with phrases like "Terms and conditions apply."

Enjoy the read, while we get busy preparing our newsletter for December's theme on assessment tools and methods as used in coaching, mentoring, psychometry and good goal-setting

Keep safe,

Upcoming events

Wolftime Community: Preparing for 2009
What: A discussion with a panel of experts on what to prepare for in 2009
When: Thursday, 4 December, 2008, breakfast included
Where: Belmont Square Conference Centre, Rondebosch
Price: R95.00
RSVP: Greig Whitton, 021 671 8225

COMENSA: Perspectives on Coaching in Organisations
What: A panel discussion with a buyer and a seller of corporate coaching
When: Thursday, 4 December, 2008, evening snacks included
Where: The Coaching Centre, Bergvliet
Price: R100 members; R150 guests
RSVP: Trixy Lochner, 083 556 9731

Being Surprised: Coaching into the Imagintation

By Cheryl Hewson

I observed a coach guide her client from a limited space of anxiety about not having enough, to a realisation that she was in "cave time". She likened herself to a bear in hibernation. The metaphor of the hibernating bear helped the client to understand this autumn period in her life. How can the language of coaching become transformative and open new perspectives?

Will the witness wake up and take the stand, please?

By Corné Mac Kenzie

To successfully adapt to unpredictable circumstances, we are called to reinvent our way of being in the world. We need to do the learning that life and work demand. How?

Terms and Conditions ALWAYS apply

By Brent Combrink

Okay, so I've gotten over my intelligence being slighted when I'm reminded that the competition / special offer / but-wait-there's-more-deal comes with 97.3 clauses biased against the customer in illegibly small print that can't fit into the ad space or air time. I've also come to terms with people being so afraid of litigation or bad press that they feel compelled to interrupt the "get in" clause with their escape clause. But there are so many more meaningful ways to get that message across.