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BRAVE Blog

Why “Whiplash” is both right and wrong about praise and criticism

The movie industry has finally done it: they came up with a film which may make me hate jazz for the rest of my life. And in the process, they managed to make me think about rewards and criticisms. How do these function in what you do?

I’m not going to spoil the story for you – the trailer for the movie is available to watch here (and, it being a jazz movie, “Whiplash” has a remarkable soundtrack too). The main thing you need to know is this: JK Simmons plays a music teacher from hell. For this guy, the two most harmful words in the English language are “good job.”

Speaking in a recent interview, the actor mentioned “a kind of numbness, a sameness, a lack of motivation” that pervades a culture which distributes praise too easily. Against this devalued, meaningless praise his character offers something quite nightmarish and bordering on sadistic. Punishment is not a good enough word for it: abuse, humiliation and violence would probably be close enough.

I’m not going to watch “Whiplash” for several reasons (the love I have for jazz is one of them). But I did watch the trailer, and I followed the argument presented above quite carefully. One thing I want to make clear: there is absolutely no way to justify anything that is done on screen by Terrence Fletcher, Simmons’ character. But his absurd methods and actions made me notice the absurdity behind empty praise – and the shock one may feel at being mistreated by unjust cricitism or abuse is, in “Whiplash,” contrasted with the disappointment and emptiness you feel when hearing an empty “good job” thrown your way.

So here’s a question for you: how does praise and criticism play out in your life? How do you do them – when you need to resort to some encouragement or critique? How do you react to them – when you’re on the receiving end of such words or actions?

I prepared a worksheet which helps develop this kind of thinking in a coaching or self-coaching process. It helps you look at patterns, phrases and emotions associated with praising or criticising in your life. The worksheet is available for BRAVE Academy learners. If you’re not a BRAVE client yet, head over and find out how to become one.

And if you’re just interested in thinking about it some more, here’s a project: spend the next 14 days actively noticing how you, and the people around you, work with praise and criticism. Is there something you’d change once the two weeks are over? Share this with me on Facebook or Twitter.

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BRAVE Blog

How to Talk Back at Chris Lonsdale Fluently in Six Points

Human Brain Evolution Every time someone claims to have found a new method for learning a language, I pause and listen intently. It’s not unusual to discover something useful and really effective by paying attention to language learning experts. But there are also times when the expertise is not enough – especially when it’s connected to strong and bold claims. Can you really learn a new language fluently in six months?

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BRAVE Blog

It’s All In Your Head: Brain and Foreign Languages

"Does Not Work"

If your brain is “the only weapon worth possessing,” then foreign languages are certainly the right kind of ammunition. Now – on Brain Awareness Week – let’s find out: how does learning a foreign language affect your brain?

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BRAVE Blog

Fear and Loathing in Linguistics: 5 Videos About Language

"buy this new thing, suckers"
With the right language, Keynotes could still get interesting.

Learning languages seems to be a very popular topic with book writers and advertisers (remember to check out my language school commercial post) – but fortunately, many people have recently taken to producing videos about language. “Fortunately” – because for a visual and impatient learner like me, a good video and a good presentation can often make learning much more interesting. If you’re keen to discover some of the most exciting language videos available on the intertubes, meet me after the jump.