Silumtaneous Usage TV and Digital and TV and Audio

How often do you watch tv and work on your computer at the same time? I’m doing it right now. According to Nielsen’s 1918 Q2 Total Audience Report, 45% of viewers are always or very often using another digital device while watching tv. Only 6% of tv watchers are using an audio device while watching tv.

Why? Because we LISTEN to our tvs as well as WATCH them!

TV commercials NEED SOUND! We consumers don’t just watch tv, we listen to tv; we HEAR a message. As the old adage goes:

YOU CAN’T SHUT YOUR EARS!

Seldom does the TV screen have our 100% attention visually. In addition to the 45% that is not 100% engaged, another 28% are also looking at a second screen. And, many of us are also on our cell phones! Are you getting the stats?!

We are not WATCHING TV, so every time a commercial comes on and THERE IS NO SOUND, WE DO NOT GET THE MESSAGE. TV ads that flash words on the screen without a narrator reading them OUT LOUD are wasting money and an opportunity! Politicians—can you hear me?!

Almost ALL of the political ads right now have video clips of Donald Trump telling lies. They play his words over and over again and on the screen image they flash the world “lies.” BUT NO ONE IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WORDS ON THE SCREEN. If you are listening but not watching, the ad reinforces Trump’s message. There should be a narrator saying the words OUT LOUD!

Narrator: DONALD TRUMP IS LYING.

Then the narrator gives the CORRECT INFORMATION OUT LOUD! So people can hear it if they happen NOT to be watching. Which is the majority of us.   

Conduct your own experiment. You watch tv, right? Contrast these two videos:

Eleven Films does it right. Although they don’t use a narrator, each clip includes AUDIO that tells the story. This 2:00 video calling Trump out for his Coronavirus incompetence is easy to understand even if you aren’t watching but only listening.

“You can’t trust this President to do the right thing,” says a person in a voice-over of a picture of EMTs rolling away a body. Then next clip shows Trump calling Coronavirus “the new Democratic hoax.” On comes another visual of people being screened by emergency personnel with the voice-over, “not for the sake of our country.” EVERY important point is emphasized with visuals AND AUDIO.  

WATCH AND LISTEN to this video from Eleven Films. They are on a mission to save Democracy. Subscribe to their Youtube channel and #Resist! And Democratic candidates—please hire Eleven Films to get your message out!!

BREAKING: the American Virus: We Will Prevail

Contrast that with this commercial from The New York Times: The Truth Can Change How We See the World

New York Times: The Truth Can Change How We See the World

The commercial begins with ocean scenery and Janelle Moonaea, a beautiful African-American woman, telling the story of 20 enslaved Africans being delivered to the shores of Virginia and sold to the Colonists. “America was not yet America,” she says, “but this is the moment it began.”

THEN, NO MORE SOUND BUT THESE WORDS COME ON THE SCREEN

“Words from

The 1619 Project: How Slavery Shaped America

The truth can change how we see the world.

Truth is worth it.”

Then the New York Times’ logo appears.

LIKE WE SAW OR HEARD THAT!! A beautiful ad by the New York Times, apparently one in their “Truth can change how we see the world” campaign. Great campaign, but here’s the BAD NEWS.

NO ONE IS GETTING YOUR MESSAGE. YOU GOTTA SAY THE WORDS OUT LOUD!

According to a random ppt presentation I found on LinkedIn, people remember:

10% of what they read

20% of what they hear

30% of what they see

50% of what they see and hear

80% of what they say

90% of what they say and do

So, if you want people to remember what your tv commercial “says,” you’ve got to help your audience SEE and HEAR your message. If you can get them up doing the hokey-pokey and singing along, even better.

#LoquaciousLindee

Company Brain: Company Voice

How are you?

This is where the discussion starts. A question. A seemingly simple question, relatively benign. I might have gone with something a little less nebulous trying to avoid the customary “fine” response; perhaps something weather-related: hot enough/cold enough for you? A safe topic. Who doesn’t have opinions about the weather?

What I’m looking for is a spark. A commonality, a thread. Do we think alike? Am I threatened if we don’t?  

I understand not being free to speak your mind in all situations, or it’s not prudent to say what your brain is thinking. Especially if you’re the one starting the conversation, you have to be discerning; you have to use your “company brain.” The layer of your brain that serves pleasantries and kind thoughts, puts a positive spin on traditional ways, gives the benefit-of-the-doubt and agrees to be a team player. The part of the brain that uses the “company voice,” a respectful, polite tone-of-voice—delivered with a smile–as it compels the person to continue to work on behalf of and for the good of “the company.”

Another explanation: my friend refers to it as her Mom’s “company voice.” Her Mom used a pleasant tone-of-voice with company: the neighbors, the neighbors’ kids, door-to-door salesmen, and the church choir. People she didn’t know well, “company,” she met with mutual respect as the kind human-being she was: she smiled, listened, offered well-wishes, pleasant thoughts, and helped when she could. She showed that person respect in stature and tone.

Both definitions of “company,” at the office or at home, imply you temper your speaking when the situation calls for it. That includes what you say and how you say it. (There’s another blog here about appropriateness and circumstance which I’ll save for another post.) Today’s question: Can you temper your language and tone-of-voice? Can that be done? And if so…

Can we temper our thinking as well? There’s an element of chicken and egg thinking here. Which comes first? Tempered, controlled brain or steady, controlled voice? Hmmmm.

What if we could? Temper them both: thinking and speaking. Could we create kinder, more respectful discourse if we went back to the pleasantries? The “company” voice, however you define it.

What pleasantries would you add?

(Let me just add PLEASE and THANK YOU to the top of the list.)

And, I’d want to be respectful, but that word is subjective. Each of us has something to say about the subject—especially when it comes to politics and Donald Trump, (aside) know what I mean? And here’s the switch.

What if. What if it was a gift when someone shared with you what they think?

Isn’t it a gift when someone shares their thinking with you? (eye roll, obviously there are extremes) But not everyone feels free to talk about what lies OUTSIDE the “company” voice and brain. For many, it’s not pleasant at all. I’m reminded of the movie “What Dreams May Come” with Robin Williams where he and his wife’s thinking created both heaven and hell. #RIPRobinWilliams #loveyoumissyou

When someone shares with you what they think of Donald Trump, it goes one of two ways: you either unite in your immediate disgust and disdain for the harm this man is causing and you’re in hell, or you find yourself looking squarely into the eyes of someone who thinks nothing like you but believes they and Donald Trump are heaven-bound. (Lord! Have mercy!) It’s time to use your company brain and voice!

We can barely put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. How can we possibly put ourselves inside their brain, let alone their dreams or their reasons for supporting Trump? We can’t. But with polite, respectful conversations, we just might find out why. We’re going to need to know and understand if we expect to heal from this divide. We’ve got to seek to understand what each person believes. And that takes conversation. With enough of it, we might realize we are more alike than different, that we want many of the same things, and we all share the bond of being human beings on this planet.

Sometimes all it takes to start the conversation is a question.

“How you doin’?” Joey Triviani.

A spark. A willingness to treat someone you just met or barely know as “company,” as part of “the company”: to think and speak kindly to them, about them, and for them. To work with them for the good of the company, the planet, and ALL of our people.

Loquaciously, 

Lindee Brauer 

#LoquaciousLindee

Zuckerberg helps Trump lie, cheat, and steal another election.

Donald Trump is bombarding us with lies on Facebook.

Trump’s campaign is spending over $1 million each week in Facebook ads FALSELY stating that fact-checked, debunked conspiracy theories are indeed true. His base is eating it up, using Trump’s hatred to fuel their own.

There are lies about immigrant caravans, lies about Democrats wanting to take your guns, lies about Russia’s role in electing Trump, and most recently lies about Ukraine, Joe Biden’s son, and impeachment.

What is Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook doing to combat Trump’s efforts to use them as a willing foil? A tool? HELPING, that’s what. Facebook has CHANGED their third-party, fact-checking policies to state politicians are the ONLY ones that can OPENLY LIE on their platform. I can’t lie on Facebook. You can’t lie on Facebook. The companies we represent cannot lie on Facebook. But politicians are different, says Zuckerberg and his Trump-loving head of global elections policy, Katie Harbath—who, by the way, was Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani’s Deputy eCampaign Director from Feb 2007 -Jan 2008. Oh, and she was Chief Digital Strategist for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from Aug 2009 – March 2011. Yeah, now tell me this new policy ISN’T about getting Trump re-elected.

According to Julia Wong, a Guardian US technology reporter, “Trump’s Facebook page has launched 5,883 different ads since news of the Ukraine-call whistleblower broke on 18 September, 40% of which mention impeachment, according to a Guardian analysis of the Facebook political ad archive. The Trump campaign has spent between $1.3m and $3.8m promoting the impeachment ads, which had been viewed between 36.5m and 43.9m times, as of Wednesday. (The ad archive reports spending and impression data as a range.)” Clarification: Wednesday, October 9 equals 3 weeks of running ads.

Trumped-up Charges

Trump’s 30-second impeachment ad, with millions of views, WRONGLY edits together visuals and narrative implying then VP Joe Biden “promised Ukraine a billion dollars if they fired the prosecutor investigating his son’s company.” News stations have refused to air the ad due to out-right manipulation of the facts.

Lies repeated again and again are believed. According to Wired.com,
“Facts don’t actually matter: People repeat them (lies) so often that you believe them. Welcome to the “illusory truth effect,” a glitch in the human psyche that equates repetition with truth.” Wired further points out, “Marketers and politicians are masters of manipulating this particular cognitive bias—which perhaps you have become more familiar with lately.” And Trump is mostly targeting older, white women—the demographic that helped him win in 2016. The ones who don’t mind he’s an adulterer and brags about grabbing women by their _______. Well, you know what he said.

Facebook users must be diligent. Don’t be fooled by Trump’s constant barrage of garrbage. You are being exposed to his garbage daily thanks to Facebook. According to Market Watch, “Trump’s campaign has spent more than $21 million on those two platforms since the 2018 midterm elections.” They were referring to Facebook and Google. Here’s Trump’s ad spend on Facebook Dec 2018 through March 2019 BEFORE he ratcheted-up the impeachment ads. If this doesn’t scare the crap out of you, what will? Facebook users are being brainwashed.

Russian money helps Trump spout LIES of Facebook.

Elizabeth Warren calls out Zuck

Elizabeth Warren, who Zuckerberg FEARS because of her intent to regulate Facebook should she become President, is turning things back on Facebook. This is her post regarding Facebook’s negligence in the 2016 election and pointed assist in Trump’s 2020 presidential run.

Trump is a Russian Asset. Zuckerberg is a Russian Tool.

If you agree with Warren, sign her petition now.

Facebook has an obligation: to be neutral, but they are not. They are clearly helping divide this country by hiding behind 1st Amendment rights of protected, free speech. Facebook says people should be exposed to all information and make their own decisions, but the constant deluge of LIES is being believed. Facebook could simply fact-check the politicians LIKE THEY DO WITH EVERYONE ELSE. Instead, Facebook is clearly selling out Democracy for the dollars and rubles.

Enjoy your fame and fortune, Mr. Zuckerberg, as you help Trump continue to crap on the Constitution, imprison brown kids, and allow the Kurds to be slaughtered. You truly do suck, Zuck. #FFacebook

#LoquaciousLindee

Fact: This is an Apple.

apple
This is an Apple.

The fact that we even have to have this conversation is unreal.

unreal

  1. so strange as to appear imaginary; not seeming real.

It is NOT a banana.

 

 

THIS is a banana.

banana
This is a banana.

If we are speaking English, this yellow thing is a banana and the red thing is the apple. These statements are facts.

fact

  1. a thing that is indisputably the case.

A fact is something we know to be TRUE. What we have here are two facts, two truths: this is an apple and this is a banana.

truth

  1. that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
  2. a fact or belief that is accepted as true.

If you look at an apple and wonder if it is a banana, it’s obvious you’ve lost yours, bananas that is. You are delusional. But if you deliberately call an apple a banana, you are telling a lie.

lie

  1. an intentionally false statement.

There is no subtle line between lying and not telling the truth. They are the same. Why mince words? You either ARE or are NOT lying: making false statements. If you intentionally say something you know NOT to be true, you are lying.

NOT telling the truth, NOT speaking up when you know something to be UNTRUE is ALSO a LIE. If someone picks up an apple and calls it a banana, it is a LIE to agree with them and call it a banana. In fact, it is an apple.

The important question is: WILL YOU SPEAK UP WHEN SOMEONE KNOWINGLY PRESENTS LIES AS TRUTH? It’s easier than you think.

When someone tells you: This is an egg.

potato
This is a potato.

You say, WRONG! This is a potato.

You can say “po-tay-to” and I can say “po-tah-to” but it’s still a potato. NOT an egg. The conversation can’t truly begin until we agree to use common language and common language begins with facts.

For more on this topic, visit douchebagwisdom.com.

#loquaciouslima (and that’s a fact)

When did being Politically Correct become a bad thing?!

Donald Trump has denounced political correctness and has built a campaign disparaging and belittling others: Hispanics, Muslims, the Black and Asian cultures, Women, the Republican Party…and the list goes on. He wears being mean, nasty, snarky, and politically INcorrect as a badge of honor, something to be proud of. But what’s wrong with being politically correct?!

Being politically correct is simply being respectful and polite; two words that are not in Trump’s vocabulary or mindset. “Respectful and polite” are attributes strong leaders emanate—even if they disagree with or see differently than the person they are speaking to or working with. It’s not necessary to be in complete agreement on issues when respect is present. Polite, respectful conversation can lead to compromise and win-win situations for all.

But when being “politically correct” is beyond a leader’s mental capacity, when polite conversation has ceased and the conversation has turned to condescending, belittling language, we all lose. The person or group who’s being verbally attacked with politically incorrect language feels victimized; and the attacker, the bully has weakened our position as a nation that acknowledges, appreciates, and embraces people or cultures that can help build a brighter future for us all.

I don’t profess to know the politics of Dear Abby, Emily Post, or Miss Manners, but each of these women made a name for herself by being polite and sharing her perspective and advice with readers. I doubt any of them would say it’s okay to mock and minimize another person or culture. And, if they heard Donald Trump today, they’d probably suggest charm school. (Too bad he can’t take his millions and millions of dollars and buy some manners.) In lieu of charm school, read this most excellent article by Sara Altschule at Bustle.com, 8 Etiquitte Tips That Will Make You Seem More Classy. All these suggestions are “politically correct” and easy to follow

I have a choice, you have a choice, we all have a choice: whether we use politically correct language or not. But truly, what can it hurt? Don’t you want to be acknowledged and respected? Isn’t this a simple common courtesy that is simple to extend to each other? All politics and beliefs aside.

We’re all in this together, whether we acknowledge it or not. H2H. Human to Human. So why not be respectful? Why not be politically correct?

#LoquaciousLindee

The word of the day is Patience.

For a cute reminder of the letter-of-the-day, watch Sesame Street’s tribute to the letter “P.”  Believe me, you’ll need patience to deal with today’s political scene. Especially Donald Trump.

The P word I want to focus on is Patience. Why? Because everyone wants it and I have it. At least in this moment I have it. It comes and goes; it’s fleeting, like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the quicker it leaves.

How is it I have it? Because “All things in God’s time.” That’s the Christian version. The Wiccan version: “As above so below.” New Agers would say: “All is well in all of creation.” The uncommitted might say “It is what it is.”

I have to believe everything is as it should be, because the alternative approach—to not believe–is living in fear.

Right now, Donald Trump is ravishing our nation. His reality-show presidential bid is getting exactly what he wants—ratings! He wants to win at all costs. But what he believes is repugnant. Disgusting, to use his favorite word. What he believes, his ideas for the nation, will cause calamity. He’ll put a target on our back.

We’ll be living in fear. A world where Trump is going to build our military and use it as a threat over other nations, leverage for when he needs to negotiate hard. He wants to go back to religious persecution. He points his fat fingers at people and says they are ISIS. He’s making this up as he goes. It’s like watching a WWF Smack-down match.

I’d say he’s a pig, but that’d be insulting to the pig. He’s a racist, a troll, a thug, and ironically exactly the opposite of what he wants to be. This man is a loser.

Trump is inciting violence. He brags that he could shoot someone and people would still love him. His rhetoric is so disturbing, calling people that don’t believe what he believes “bad.” So anyone who opposes what Trump thinks is “bad, a very bad person.” He says he’s a “unifier,” but his “us against them” mentality is empowering people to strike out. His crowd is turning ugly. As ugly as he is.

How do I know that Trump creates hate? Because his fans hate others. And because I hate him.

I don’t hate very often. I’m smarter, bigger, and better than that. I listen, I accept, and I believe we can all get along. We all come to this universal truth in our own time. Some never get to that understanding. Trump supporters obviously are not there. Neither is Trump.

That means I have to have patience, and belief, that people will come around; they’ll come to see, hear, and understand the maliciousness in his speech, his words. If they continue to watch him, hopefully they’ll see through the celebrity and see the monster.

President Obama says he’s not worried, he has faith; faith in the American people, that they won’t elect Trump. We’re smarter and better than that, Obama says. I choose to believe the same, and have patience that the American people will envision a better world than the one Trump presents. That people will act better than to follow Trump’s encouragement–to beat up those that don’t stand with him.

As I watch his nasty hate-filled face plastered on the TV, I choose to turn the channel, and watch Sesame Street, where P is the letter and Patience is the word.

And believe that “All is well in all of creation” if I just have Patience.

And that’s the word of the day. Patience.

#loquaciouslindee

I find myself worrying about my dad today. He’s 82, in the hospital, and recovering from surgery. This is day 24.

The time for worry should be over. He’s made it through the tough part, the surgery; now, he’s just waiting for all the vital organs to wake-up. He’s on the mend. But I find myself worrying regardless.

Regardless, being the key. Regardless of looking at the situation logically and calmly, I’m looking past the good news and dwelling on the bad. That’s what worry is: a thought of bad things unwanted.

So instead of focusing on my feelings or thoughts of my dad’s recovery, I’ve begun thinking about what I’m worried about. “I’m worried” has become “I think.” If I’m free to truly think anything I want—and of course I am—in this case, today, I’ve been thinking about all the bad things that could happen. What would happen if I focused on the good? I wonder.

I wonder when Dad will be released from the hospital? I wonder what his faithful nurse, companion, and wife–aka MOM–are doing right now? I wonder how he’s getting through his Father’s Day in the hospital?

I worry, I think, I wonder. All questions of what will happen in the future. Bad, neutral, good. For me, thinking, focusing-in on my thoughts, expectations and outcomes makes it easier to think positively, optimistically, and hopefully.

We know things in life will go wrong, but why not focus on what could go right?

Why worry when you can wonder?

 

 

Let me interrupt this normally scheduled writing session to pass along this message of hope. H-O-P-E.

Hold On Pain Ends.

I’ve never heard this acronym before. I’m seeing it tonight for the first time. Hold On Pain Ends. It stopped me in my tracks. I stumbled on this quote tonight in a random google search. No, I wasn’t searching for hope. And I’m not in a depression or funk. I’m busy as crazy, doing what I love, and loving doing it, crazy as that sounds.

I actually clicked my way to it with a “quotes about Pinterest” search. Mixed in with quotes about the social media platform, Pinterest, were quotes that were also being posted on Pinterest.

There have been times in my life that hope has eluded me. And without hope, I wasn’t able to move forward in love and joy, or at all. I was stuck. Without hope, I was sad and depressed. And in pain.

“The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar there’ll be sun.” We all know that song quote. It’s so popular and relevant that the song is being heard by a whole new generation with the remake of the comic strip, book, broadway musical, and now movie, Annie. It’s such a beautiful message—of hope. Things will get better.

I wrote once that H-O-P-E stands for Hold On People Everywhere. That’s still valid. Hope is a waiting game. A game of patience, where sometimes you think the pain will never end. HOPE knows there are better days ahead. Pain-free days.  Little Orphan Annie says it could be as early as tomorrow!

Let’s HOPE (hold on pain ends) it will be soon; because HOPE (hold on people everywhere) is good for us all. 
 
#LoquaciousLindee
Help Open People’s Eyes. Be part of the State of the Union movement. 

Another perspective…You’re trying too hard.

I’ve been writing a book. For almost two years now. Entangled in the Eiffel. It’s a romance novel—and a psychological thriller.

I think about it, I talk about it, I write little snippets of dialogue on scrap paper everywhere. I have word doc after word doc full of story ideas and conversations.

I even took a trip to Paris, to the Eiffel Tower, the scene of 80% of the book. But there is no deadline in site, no timeline, and therefore, it never seems like I’m getting closer to those magic words, “the end.”

But what I fail to give myself credit for is: I’m writing the book!!

Some days I do research; other days I storyboard, or work on character development. Then other days the main character forces me to my keyboard so I can let the story out. The story writes itself, and there’s no peace in my head until I’m writing.

And that’s the key. Find the motivation from within–like this simple sentence! Don’t quit now. Do it now.

When you do, it’s amazing how the right words pour out and stand out.

Give It Your All

Give up, give in, or give it your all. There is power in all three. The challenge is knowing when to do what.

Giving up doesn’t have to be a bad thing. We’ve all been taught: Winners never quit and quitters never win. Well, sometimes winners make the decision to stop. Stop pursing a course of action that’s getting them no where. There is nothing wrong with re-evaluating a situation and deciding it’s time to try a different tactic, angle, or path. Give up. See what happens when you stop pushing so hard.

Giving in can also be a good thing. “Pick your battles” is a popular phrase used when imparting wisdom to people in relationships. Sure, there will be times to stand your ground, but giving in, letting someone else have their way, is one way you can honor, respect, and accept their wishes. If that helps strengthen the relationship, why not give in? Perhaps your partner will be more willing to compromise next time, when you show them how.

Giving it your all…. Now, that’s a good thing. No matter what the outcome, win or lose, when you give a task, or a person, 100% of your focus–your undivided attention–you win. On some level, you both win. (Even though some win-win scenarios don’t make themselves known for years down the road. And they might appear as win-lose in the present.) Some projects and people are worth striving for and fighting for. For giving your all.

As for knowing when to do what? That’s a bit trickier. After all, onlyyou can say “enough is enough.””

Let your heart, mind, body, and spirit be your guide. When all four parts of you are in agreement–give up, give in, or give it your all–that’s the time to take action.

They all begin with “giving.”