While I was swimming this morning many thoughts wandered my mind concerning the topic I would write about today. I even settled on one subject, but somehow it slipped my mind again and I also forgot all the other thoughts. Now I try to use the remaining four minutes, until the meeting I have to attend, to celebrate my internet appearance with a blog post. Being new to the blogosphere I find it particularly difficult to decide what to write about. Often it comes in a whim. Who am I to publish an opinion on something I don't know enough about. Seldom, I take the time to reflect or even research the topic to undermine my comments with facts, so I actually could educate my readership. What will be the essence of my writing? What is its reason?
There are selfish reasons, of course they come first. As mentioned in my first post, I want to improve my speech, my ability to share my inner self and my ability to formulate an opinion. I also want to connect with my friends, want to catch their attention, just for a little moment. But I also want to entertain them, give them a good time and something to think about.
Of course I did not manage the alloted four minutes. Still pondering about communication I witnessed another important aspect of a scientists life, a lab meeting. I realized ones again how important it is to master the way to communicate research to others, not only to lay people but also to other scientists. I used to be convinced that only actions (and in respect to science facts) matter and speak for themselves, but in this world this is not true. It is the words that one uses that motivate and interest others. It is the charisma in ones speech, the enthusiasm and the choice of words.
I am off to my toastmasters meeting. What a communication-rich day today....
hihihi...
ReplyDeletei have the same. sometimes i think; what a crap am i writing!
but mostly i write about stuff I myself find interesting. and then i do look up facts etc, on the internet. but recently im so tired, i just post the pic, write a little about my boring life and am happy thats done again for the day. but i am frustrated about that... i would always like to write something interesting, always like to tell the audience something new (so, at least something i learned myself, and maybe they as well...). and sometimes, when there are no or few comments especially, i wonder; WHY am i doing this?! nobody obviously is interested! but then i realize i like it a lot myself, and its great if even ONE person took time to read it and comment on it.
i do however note that a lot of people look, but NEVER comment... i always wonder why. do they think, ah, nice, and go on? why dont they comment? is my post not eliciting a response? or is it just the laziness of most people; taking things in, but not being active themselves.
and i wish i could swim anytime soon! but probably not... :(
I think it is mainly laziness or lack of time. I also have to confess that I don't comment very often although I really like your blog. So I promise to better myself in the future....
ReplyDeleteI also think it takes a lot of time to post everyday.... especially if you first have to learn about the thing you want to write about...
ReplyDeleteYes, definately laziness ;-). You're right about communication though, sometimes I wish people could be a more objective in the way they approach science
ReplyDeleteoh sylvia! you are doing a good job, hoor! :) i like it when people (like you) write something related to what i show or wrote. net necessarily that the pic is really good... because then i at least know when you write its a good pic you really think it is a good pic... by now i discovered there are many many many photoblogs, some with many commentors, and so often i think "hmm... boring pic, bad pic, not great, just average", while everyone writes how amazing the photo is...
ReplyDeleteas for science; the way some people present it how they want to data to look, even though if you look more careful, and not just at what they point out, you see all the flaws... :( frustrating. but also if i present myself i sometimes notice that people dont pick up flaws unless i point them out; not good..... im so tired of science sometimes!!!
Yes it is a business, like everything else. Why were we so idealistic about it???? However, I also often think, well how boring is that topic or what a small contribution to the world but then I hear somebody speaking about it really enthusiastic and I think, wow how interesting. I wish I had this ability combined with remaining realistic about the data...
ReplyDelete"I realized ones again how important it is to master the way to communicate research to others, not only to lay people but also to other scientists"
ReplyDeleteso.. perhaps you meant to say laypeople, if not, it's funny: when you separate lay from people, lay becomes a verb.. and in American street talk.. to get laid, means... well you know what it means right? So you are saying here: it's important to communicate research to have sex but also to scientists.
Oh and to be more annoying: things come on a whim, and we do stuff seldomly. xx
seems I am not so lucid as I though, he:):) thanks I really appreciate it. where did you learn all this stuff, I have to be more careful!
ReplyDeleteit is really rare though that in English words are combined to one word...
ReplyDelete