Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #417. - Your own personal lead balloon

"To go down like a lead balloon" is not only a quite funny idiomatic expression but also a very effective metaphor.

And... it is definitely revealing.

What do we like, dislike, find cringeworthy, or impossible to accept?

Can we recognize some kind of pattern or rule of thumb for ourselves?

[It may look just like some sort of silly visual image,

and yet it contains a pretty powerful question]

Coaching question of the day: 

"What does usually go down with you like a lead balloon?"                  

                                                    

Tags: Coaching question, Self-coaching, Self-awareness, Self-reflection, English idioms, Likes and dislikes, Metaphors

What to read next:

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #359. - A new comparison

Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!

Where to start, if you are new

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #391. - The truth about the word "vital"

Words matter and, quite often, we tend to misuse some of them.

One good example? We define many things in our lives as "vital" or "of vital importance" even if they actually aren't.

They may look like absolutely vital short-term, but even just mid-term they are going to be... not relevant any longer and therefore not truly vital.

Understanding our priorities, our actual life priorities, and what's truly vital for us, not just today but also in the long run, can make all the difference in the way we live and in every decision we make, no matter the subject.

[Knowing the real answer to this question

is what can influence every decision we make]

"Vital" should be a word we use when we are indeed talking about something worthy of being defined that way.

Coaching question of the day: 

"What is truly vital to you?"    

                                                                       

Tags: Coaching question, Self-coaching, Self-awareness, Self-reflection, Setting priorities, Time management, Life design, Main priorities

What to read next:

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #342. - Your main priority for this year 

Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!

Where to start, if you are new

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #383. - Your buzzwords

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a buzzword can be defined either as "an important-sounding usually technical word or phrase often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen" or as "a voguish word or phrase".

Definitions from other sources also highlight the popularity or the vast spread of the word or expression.

[What we think and what we say

can have a huge impact on our feelings,

goals, and actions. Let's pick our words wisely]

Many buzzwords are "trendy" for a season, some for a year or two, and once in a while, there are buzzwords able to last for a decade or even longer.

Knowing which "cool words" we are using right now is a good way to reflect on the way we are using them, and even more on the reasons behind our habit: 

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #333. - The meaning of nostalgia

Feeling a little bit nostalgic lately?

You are in good company, and that's no big surprise since nostalgia is deeply rooted in all of us. 

Being able to feel nostalgic is among the things that make us human. And that's the reason why nostalgia sells, and it always has, in countless arenas: 

Think oldies music, nostalgia radio stations, movies about the "good old times", vintage clothes and design, some kind of revival for every decade between the 20s and the 80s...

[Nostalgia is as personal as our own individual story:

for each of us nostalgia comes in different shapes and forms]

The interesting thing about the word "nostalgia" is that it's composed of "nostos" (Ancient Greek for "return") and "algos" (Ancient Greek for "pain, suffering").

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #170. - New words for you

To some extent, words are what our reality is made of.
The way we describe something, the way we think about something, the way we tell ourselves and others a story about something... is strongly related to the words we use, the words we choose, the words we consider appropriate for the task.

[It doesn't matter whether in your mother tongue 

or in another language... new words are always

a gate to new ideas and realities]

Even if many people are quite skeptical about this, it is true that changing our words can change ourselves and that our words change when we change.
The important and often underestimated part? The change has to happen from within. Changes imposed from the outside are usually not that effective and don't have lasting power.

Why?

Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #118. - So many extra miles to go

The Cambridge Dictionary definition of "going the extra mile" goes "to make more effort than is expected of you".
Which sounds correct, plausible, easy to understand... and yet pretty vague.

Expected by whom? Under which circumstances? Once in a while or every single day? In order to achieve something or to avoid something? In what capacity?

[Your extra mile can look different and be different

every single time, every single day]

Just like everyone has a different way to imagine and to go for an adventure and a "good job" can refer to many diverse scenarios, going the extra mile can mean actually going above and beyond for a project, a gig, or a loved one, or giving everything on a daily basis, as a way of life, because you are "that type of person", or even just...

10 German words you probably don't know that can motivate and energize you

As a language, German has a reputation as a difficult, bureaucratic, emotionless, and somehow a little bit boring body of words. That could not be more misleading!

Even if sometimes German words are indeed... quite long and complex, and definitely pretty difficult to be pronounced properly at first, they are also precise, accurate, and very finely nuanced.

Here you have a couple of good examples, thanks to 10 German words that you probably never heard of before and that reflect motivating and useful concepts and attitudes:

#1. Begeisterungsfähigkeit, die f.

enthusiasm, ability to be enthusiastic

#2. Besonderheit, die f.

distinctiveness, peculiarity

#3. Entrümpelung, die f.

clearing out, decluttering

#4. Kultur-Audit, das n.

culture audit, audit of a specific culture

#5. Schaffensrausch, der m.

flow, burst of creativity

Collecting "Le petit Prince" - A big thank you to all the special, incredible people that are playing the game with me, year after year

"Now I always have a look around, when I am in some new place. Somehow, he has become my new habit", he says.

And I just melt.

This very good friend of mine is talking about looking for new, exotic editions of "The Little Prince" for my collection while traveling and/on being abroad for some time for whatever reason, and knowing that he remembers me and my special game makes me feel seen, loved and appreciated.

Collecting the book has been a serendipitous idea, something that I would not have expected and yet kept me company all these years, almost fifteen years by now.

And now, after so many years, my collection looks like this:

[My collection of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

as it is in June 2020: over 100 books 

in around 70 languages and dialects]

According to the most recent data, the book has been translated into more than 350 languages and dialects worldwide.

Coaching tools for everyday life - Metaphors, pieces of cake and half battles

"You are in this for the long haul", you say.

"I don't get what you mean", they look at you, puzzled.

"You know, just imagine that this situation for you would be a little bit like if you would... [insert your catchy metaphor here]", you keep going. 

And suddenly, they get it. They get you. And your interaction reaches the next level.

Metaphors are pure gold, when you are trying to find common ground, to allow someone to discover a new perspective, to get your point across without being bossy or manipulative.

We use metaphors as a precious communication tool every day, many times a day, very often without even realizing it, and they are incredibly useful in coaching as well. If used effectively, they just click with us. [Which is, by the way, yet another metaphor]

[Who is going to get the biggest brownie of all? 

No-bake, gluten-free rose petal brownies

Image credit: PureWow © Liz Andrew (Photo) & Erin McDowell (Styling)]

A good example?

Singleness made in Berlin - #8. You spent too many years flirting in German, when... - Reprise, Feat. the auto-pilot mode about tattoo questions

"Is the purple tattoo on your left arm a new one?" he asks, while I am not looking at him, absolutely absorbed in reading the menu and looking for something to eat that could be keto-friendly.

I look up, a little bit puzzled. Our eyes meet.

I have been knowing him for over two years, now. It's quite strange that he never noticed that one.

Still, since I am absolutely used to any kind of questions about my tattoos, I roll up the sleeve of my black blouse a little bit more, I show him the full purple tattoo he is referring to.

[So many tattoos ago, so many haircuts ago...

That's me, ladies & gents, in 2016.

Can you spot the big purple tattoo on my left arm?]

And here we are: I explain that nope, it is a very old one, only purple ink and no black lines, I've got it myself when I completed my magister degree in cinema history and yada yada yada.

Auto-pilot mode about tattoo questions, welcome at the dinner table, just take a seat and enjoy the evening with us, wouldn't you? What can I order you? Some bananas, maybe?

25 acronyms to use while chatting, texting and messaging in your personal and professional life

Chatting, texting and messaging should be like fun, right?

And... it is not rocket science, even if the devices we use for that keep getting upgraded and improved and are now as complex as a small space shuttle could be.

Are you a fan of the good ol' emoticons or do you prefer emojis?

Telegram stickers or any type of GIFs?

Do you read all your messages immediately or do you check the phone twice a day and that's it?

How often do you reply? Or are you the one starting a new thread after the other? Group chat, anyone?

In the end, of course, having fun with texting is all about sharing the same expectations, communication style, and language.

And the same acronyms! Below you can find 25 of the most used ones. Enjoy!

[Repeat after me: your keyboard is your friend.

Even more, if you start writing "AFK" when necessary.

Image credit: ISO Republic]

AFK - Away From Keyboard

BFF - Best Female Friend

BRB - Be Right Back

35 basic and yet pesky technical & business-related acronyms that everyone but you seems to know already

Good communication is all about communication in a transparent, clear and consistent way.

Speaking the same language (or being open to finding a common language for the interaction, if different languages are available) is just as important.

Acronyms and abbreviations are more than ever part of the professional life of all of us and are, per se, a perfect example of a shared language, where everyone refers to the same, while using them, as a convention.

Below you can find 35 among the most used and yet sometimes tricky business-related acronyms:

API - Application Program Interface

ATS - Applicant Tracking System

B2B - Business to Business

B2C - Business to Consumer

B2G - Business to Government

[Let's be honest for a minute...

We all have been there, at some point.

Some of us just keep staying there, 

but that's another story]

CMS - Content Management System

CPA - Cost per Action

CPC - Cost per Click

CPL - Cost per Lead

CPU - Cost per Unit

Google Doodle pays homage to German graphic designer Ludwig Sütterlin

Today's Google Doodle in Germany is dedicated to Ludwig Sütterlin [1865-1917], a Berlin-based graphic artist and teacher at the "Teaching Institution of the Royal Museum of Decorative Arts" (lit.  Unterrichtsanstalt des Königlichen Kunstgewerbemuseums zu Berlin) that invented the Sütterlin script.

[Colorful Google Doodle on July, 23rd 2018

dedicated to Ludwig Sütterlin]

This minimal and very regular writing style based on geometrical forms, influenced by Art Nouveau and by the work of Rudolf von Larisch, was nationally adopted in Germany as a more adapt writing style for children (in comparison to the more tricky Eckenschrift) during the Twenties and the Thirties.

Every letter would have the same height and width, in order to help small children learning how to write properly while using a quill:

Singleness made in Berlin - #4. Cute bunny ears, or just another example of when you spent too many years flirting in German

Are you always able to spot a compliment or a nice gesture towards you?

If you too, like me, spent too many years flirting in German, chances are... that you are not.

Believe me, I feel you.

It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to. 

W.C. Fields [1880-1946]

About a week ago, during a workshop that I was attending to as an assistant to the trainer, someone I got to know that day didn't get immediately what I was saying, in German. So I said it again. And, since the person was still looking at me quite puzzled, I said it once more.

Luckily enough, I am now aware of the very high level of my German skills, and so I didn't take the thing personally like I would have probably done during the first years abroad, and it was all good to me.

[Purple bunnies plugs as a cameo,

with cute bunny ears, anyone?

Are they going to be all ears as well?]

During a break, while interacting with the same person, I had to explain something and we had the following interaction:

Sneak peek of my interview about being a localization manager, or why diversity is a new buzzword for something as old as humankind

How does the life of a localization manager look like?
While asking this question, most people expect me to talk about source languages and target languages and pivot languages and translation KPIs and ISO 9000 quality management systems standards and TMs and glossaries and workflow optimization and... the endless stream of industry-specific lingo could go on and on.

All those things are for sure very important, and yet, at least to me, being a (good) localization manager is above all about self-awareness, stellar and consistent communication, self-control, diversity management and valuable relationships.

A relationship, every kind of relationship (romantic partnership, professional partnership, family relationship, friendship, being colleagues, neighborhood relationship, you name it), can be pleasant, happy, rewarding, quiet, funny, encouraging.
Or challenging, difficult, painful, disappointing, frustrating.

In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.

Tenzin Gyatso, born Lhamo Thondup

better known as the 14th Dalai Lama

A relationship can actually be also merely boring, ordinary, not interesting at all. Or it can be all these things and more, depending on the days, your mood, the circumstances, your attitude.

Still, what matters is how you deal with the relationships, both in your private life and at work.

[Pics: Me, October 2017 -  With my naturally curly hair...
after five years, they are back.

© Radoslaw Kosiada]

Last week I got interviewed for Plinga's blog series "Heroes at Plinga".
It has been a fun one, and I had a chance to talk about diversity, work-life balance, servant leadership and more.

Singleness made in Berlin - #3. Or four questions one should better think about, while flirting in another language

Online and offline, but above all online, one can read almost everywhere that content is king. Sean D'Souza gets usually a little bit further and says that the content is king, but the packaging is Emperor. In my humble opinion, he is right.

Something is even more important than content and packaging, though, and it's... feedback.

[Packaging is... emperor and it can be very classy too:

luxury Purple packaging design from Betc Design

for My Cointreaupolitan Box by Dita von Teese]

Seth Godin is sure that "Criticism is easy to do, but rarely worth listening to, mostly because it's so easy to do". This is sadly true, and yet constructive criticism and honest feedback are absolutely worth listening since they are useful not only for the person receiving it but also for the one providing it.

How to heal the hidden scars, or why falling in love and getting lost could save you

What do words mean to you?

Words are more powerful than swords, or do you consider it to be true the other way around?

I always believed that words are magic. That they are powerful enough to shape worlds, to influence people, to change one's destiny. To create new ways of thinking, to move someone, to make a difference.

Words have for sure the power to heal. To cherish. To thank. To hurt. To fight. To lie. To tell a story, To make someone laugh, or cry. To stand up for something. To talk with friends and loved ones. In one word, to communicate.

For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.

Edmund Spenser [1552-1599]

And yet, words are also wonderful to make a fool of oneself. Even more in a foreign language.

["Not till we are lost... do we begin to find ourselves"

In my humble opinion, anyone else can 

explain the meaning of life in a sentence like Thoreau does...]

In over five years in Germany, I never noticed - until today - that only one tiny letter allows to distinguishing the verb "sich verlieben" (to fall in love) from the verb "sich verlieren" (to get lost).

Funny, don't you think?

Or tragic, maybe. To fall in love with someone is not as dangerous, interesting, challenging, stressful and surprising as to get lost, after all?

And if it's true, like Thoreau said, that while getting lost we can find ourselves, it may be the same while falling in love, even if the love is not a happy one?

Let our scars fall in love.

Galway Kinnell [1927-2014]

Each of us has scars. And I am not talking about tattoos, this time. Scars can be difficult to ignore, if people carry them on their body or on their face.
...Or they can be invisible, if they are hidden in the soul.

Can falling in love and getting lost be in that case a way to take care of one's scars and to go on in a different, more lucid way? To change for the best, while dealing with the worst fears and demons one has?

To be brave and bold, no matter what, and to learn how to defeat obstacles and crash barriers?

I hope so. And you?

Tags: Deutsch, Falling in love, Quotes, People, Scars

What to read next:

Jay Gatsby's way of loving, or the dilemma between pushing harder and giving up

Visiting the blog for the first time? Aloha!
Where to start, if you are new

False friends can be very tricky while trying to be classy, or the secret and exclusive club of colorful people

Ah, dezent! 

I got this one. No wait, maybe I didn't. 

In fact, dezent is one of those German words that, while speaking Italian as a native speaker, could be easily misunderstood. 

[Red total look: something not so usual in the streets of Berlin...

if it is not Fashion Week]

What does make dezent such a tricky word, you may ask.

Dezent is what in linguistics is called a 'false friend': a word in a foreign language that seems to be very similar to some words in your own language, but that actually has a completely different meaning. 

False friends can be very tricky while learning a new language while living abroad, while working in an international working environment, while translating a text.

Slices of farinata, flirting in another language and grammatical uncertainty, or being happy to living as an expat while missing 7 things about Italy

Being an expat is not always easy, but it also not a nightmare.

It all depends on you, on your attitude, on your openness, on your willingness to adapt, to learn, to change your mind if necessary, to discover and try new things, to see the world with other eyes.

Personally, I am very happy, as an expat, and I regret nothing.

Or maybe is my only regret that I didn't leave Italy way earlier than I did.

But this would be another story, so stay tuned for another blog post about that.

People ask me often how I did what I did.

How I learned German that fast.

How I survived abroad alone.

How I kept living in Berlin even if it was very hard and heartbreaking sometimes.

And usually, they are very disappointed by my answer. Even if my answer is always 100% sincere.

But there are no magic potions, no unicorns, no Sugar Plum Fairy in it.

[Ready for my answer? No Sugar Plum Fairy here

Well, apart from Elizabeth Murphy for Pacific Northwest Ballet

Photo by Lindsay Thomas, Courtesy PNB]

The naked truth is...

How to learn a foreign language while watching movies

A good way for learning a foreign language is watching movies in that language, no matter if in original version with or without subtitles. The subtitles offer a lot of different solutions and combinations, for that matter.

Let's use a German movie as an example. What about Good Bye Lenin! or Run Lola Run?

[Good Bye Lenin! (2003) by Wolfgang Becker 

with Daniel Brühl and Katrin Saß]

While watching the movie in German, we would have at least these options to choose from:

#1. German version without subtitles;

#2. German version with subtitles in German;

#3. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in German (if available);

#4. German version with subtitles in English;

#5. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in English (if available);

#6. German version with subtitles in your native tongue, if different from English (Italian, in my case);

#7. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in your native tongue (if available);

#8. German version with subtitles in another foreign language you would love to improve as well (French or Spanish, in my case);

#9. German version with subtitles for hearing impaired in another foreign language you would love to improve (if available).

etc.

You got the point, right?

While watching the movie, paying attention to the story and reading the subtitles at the same time, it will be easier for you to remember certain words or idiomatic expressions, to focus on the pronunciation, to understand in which occasions you should say something like that. Or in which occasions you shouldn't say something like that at any cost. 

It all depends on you and on which aspect of this method could be the most interesting and useful for you.
I like for example to discover new idiomatic expressions and figures of speech while seeing immediately in the movie when and how I should use them.

 [One funny German expression I learned from a movie?

 Holla die Waldfee!,

old-fashioned way for meaning What a surprise!]

You can mix the combinations, you can opt for subtitles in your native tongue or in English if you are a little tired or the movie is a difficult one, you can switch to the subtitles in the movie language or in your second (or third...) foreign language if you are familiar with the subject or if you know the book or the comic or that special book-to-film adaptation.

What about you?

Do you watch movies in another language for improving your language skills? In which combination?

Previous post:

A day in 8/15 style...

Tags: Holla die Waldfee, Learning a foreign language, Idiomatic expression, German, How to express surprise, Movies with subtitles