Touro Communication Club Notes #59

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This Week!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - 2 pm - Room 223 - Midtown

Club Discussion: “What’s Happening to Communication?”

James Millner suggested this topic recently in an email. He wrote, “The other day I heard a conversation about communication that raised an interesting point. It was pertaining to the techno era, with all the e-mailing, sms mail, and texting. A question arose, "What happening to communication?" Now it seems that even the telephone is not used for the purpose it was invented for anymore. I think it would be an interesting topic to discuss.

We think so, too, James! If this discussion goes the way of our other discussions, we will end up with some very unusual conversation.

Comments for Communicators.

I suppose if and when you are perceived as a “savior” and, by extension, the embodiment of perfection – the kind that is able to leap tall buildings at a single bound - people inevitably are going to be disappointed when they find out you are a mere human.

Probably the greatest lesson of this past week has been how people hear what they want to hear. Despite the palpable clarity of President Obama’s words, Some people heard his words and made different connections in their heads. And the complaints started bubbling.

President Obama’s pragmatic Inaugural Address made several thematic statements that would characterize his administration. They include:

• Restore confidence in America as a world leader.
• Stabilize the national financial crisis.
• Reestablish the rule of law.
• Establish standards of transparency, openness and inclusiveness.

Now three days in to the 44^th Presidency, the glamour and
ecstasy of the inauguration vanished quickly. Unlike previous
presidents unfortunately, Obama will not get his 100-day honeymoon.
His honeymoon ended on Inauguration Day. Obama’s words and
actions are being scrutinized microscopically.

• Does each of his deeds match his words?
• Does what he says match my belief system? Subtext: “If he doesn’t agree with me, he’s wrong.”
• Both the left and right were complaining that their separate agendas were not being addressed immediately.
• Some were saying the Inauguration was too inclusive.
• Others were saying Obama was not moving fast enough on their issues.
• Ethical standards that Obama has set are being violated in two appointments.

A digression: on Tuesday, January 20^th my wife, Andrea, and I were glued to the video screen watching the entire historic Inauguration. After it was over, I had to go to Touro for an appointment. As I walked to the train, I was in a rose-colored reverie, replete with a patchwork of thoughts and hopes and memories. As I got on the train, I walked into the midst of a loud argument between several people who were complaining about the behavior of each other. My beatific reverie evaporated and I was brought back to the reality of daily life in New York City.

Glowing words of promise contrasted with the cacophony of unpleasantness. That was my experience on that special day. Such contrasts occur frequently to me.

It will be important to see how President Obama deals with these contrasts. His surrogate, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, got a clue on his first two consecutive meetings with reporters. Gibbs was ground up by the press, Everything was challenged. There were no softball questions. Yet Gibbs maintained control under the pressure with an easy smile and an ability to set limits on the intrusive reporters.

I suppose that after eight years of President Bush’s behavior, the press and the public are going to continue to grill Obama and all his surrogates within an inch of their lives. Everyone wants answers that will solve all problems yesterday.

Everyone still expects President Obama to be the savior. We need to explore the burden that “saviors’ bear.

Our upcoming schedule is:

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 – Gender Communication II

This topic – however controversial – needs much more exploration. Many of our communication difficulties occur during the long-standing “Battle of the Sexes.” A disputed recent book, “The Female Brain,” written by a female neurosurgeon, argues that women have an 8-lane highway for a brain while men have a single wandering country road. We’ll try to bring some of these difficulties to the surface and see what we can do to communicate more effectively with the opposite sex.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 –

The Club writes a letter to President Obama – All suggestions welcome. We have all these ideas. We are going to try to participate in the national political process.

What happened on January 21, 2009 with the Theatre Workshop – Improvisation Technique II

A hardy band of seven came together on this frightfully cold intersession day to explore their imaginations. Egypt Allen, Lorinda Moore, David Nussbaum, James Millner, Frank Antwi, Brian Brown and Hal Wicke were the hardy souls.

Since most of the people were new, Hal went through the basic diaphragmatic breathing exercises. Everyone closed their eyes, feet on the floor with one hand on the diaphragm. The goal was to keep the shoulders still and raise and lower your hand as you inhaled and exhaled.

Next we began with using the mind to recreate heat and cold. Stanislavski calls this “Sense Memory.” In our heads, we created a sense of hot followed by cold. Next, we began another Stanislavski exercises, “Emotional Recall.” The first exercise was to recreate in your head the experience of fear by thinking of an incident which made you fearful. James had to leave so the exercise was shortened, omitting the second emotion of anger and concluding with the emotion of joy. Hal didn’t want to have everyone leave the room angry.

After each segment everyone talked about what they felt. Hal asked that no one talk about the details of the incident that produced the emotion. Several described their experience in intellectual terms, but Hal wanted them to use emotional words.

Hal pointed out that our minds are very powerful instruments. “A mind is a terrible thing top waste,” says the familiar Negro College Fund slogan. But how much can and do we use our minds? Hal feels that learning how an actor uses his/her mind will sharpen t he mental faculties of everyone when they move from an affective situation (acting) to a cognitive (academics) one.

The group was tired from the intense concentration and the discussion led to a spirited exchange about how men and women differ in their communication. We’ll schedule a session on gender communication in the near future.

These sessions are always open for everyone to attend. Bring a friend and join in the excitement. See you next time.

Hal Wicke