Tuesday 13 November 2012

Courtesy is King


In times of the “customer is king” mantra we, the customers, tend to look down on those who serve us. Customer service clerks, phone operators, cabin crew, bus drivers all get paid for serving us and ought to put up with all we say and do. We complain, therefore, frequently and vociferously, presumably to get better service next time. But ironically, it’s positive reinforcement that tends to produce the most improvements, not negative one. Yet giving compliments each time we are happy with the product / service that we receive is often overlooked. If we really feel so strong about helping shape a better experience for ourselves, courteousness and gratitude should be the order of the day. Not criticisms and complaints. And not via a survey, but personal, face-to-face “thank you" each time we feel delighted. Customer may be king, but courteous customer is a happy one.


Tuesday 6 November 2012

40 Words You Will Never Use vol. 3


The latest batch of words that on a daily basis only crazy people dare to use. My favourite one must be “elision” which refers to "the omission of a sound or syllable when speaking” — never thought there was a word for it! Now for the ultimate challenge: use as many of these as possible in one game of Scrabble! Ha!

Elision ● Amalgamation ● Abhorrence ● Transgress ● Epithalamium ● Crevasse ● Tenacious ● Veridical ● Vociferous ● Vehement ● Avarice ● Fecundity ● Obfuscate ● Incorrigible ● Scurrilous ● Inoculation ● Quagmire ● Corollary ● Portent ● Effervescent ● Mendacious ● Prolegomenon ● Excise ● Prolegomenous ● Preposterous ● Inculcation ● Virulence ● Rapacious ● Opprobrium ● Surreptitious ● Palatable ● Excoriate ● Raucous ● Equanimity ● Adventitious ● Reticent ● Viscous ● Impunity ● Obdurate ● Desideratum

 Meanings after the break.