Vocabulary Lesson

Anybody who works in communications knows that words are your most powerful tools.  The right words evoke emotions, help tell the right stories, and offer people a kind of common currency to talk about issues.

I love words.  Especially new ones.

So it’s no surprise that Marian Salzman’s posts about trends and words got my attention.  Marian has been identifying trends and introducing words into our modern vocabulary that describe how and why people are talking about new ways of thinking and new kinds of influence.

And the fact that two trends showed up that I’ve been seeing first-hand at work — as well as the corresponding words that describe them — was a thrill.  I have attached Marian’s article here: http://www.forbes.com/sites/mariansalzman/2013/09/06/how-words-paint-the-trends-new-words-of-2013/

Marian calls out two of my favorite new concepts.  I have been watching one of them (and writing about it) for the last few years.  I love what I am seeing in the power of Philanthroteens (check out my post about it here).  These young people are an increasingly important part of how our world gives back, donates, volunteers and advocates.

The second concept that Marian called out is Keynote Listening.  (Check out an infographic about Keynote Listening here: http://www.plussocialgood.org/Post/whats-keynote-listener/d4d384b9-6b38-4768-a857-eefb01b5e6d4).   This next week in New York we will see a new slate of high-profile people take on the mantle of Keynote Listener during the Social Good Summit.  It’s not a new concept, but the way we are highlighting Keynote Listeners during the Summit is hopefully a chance to take this to a new level.  These men and women are doing more than just talking to people…they are listening to people and then speechifying and making their points to audiences large and small.

The next few months I’ll be watching for the new words and trends that people like Marian are identifying as our world’s thinking, our lexicon and our futures evolve.  What words are you watching?