Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)
In a dojo, while assisting the Sensei, another yudansha approached me and said, “You're explaining too much.” In short, after a discussion to clarify is message and intent, he was saying that I talked too much. On one side I tended to agree and on the other side I tend to disagree and you ask, “How can you both agree and disagree?”
It’s about communications, knowledge and understanding. First, I was trying way to hard to convey decades of study, learning, and understanding in one conversation. Second, I needed to parse the teachings down into what one media source would call, “Baby Steps.” Baby steps in that I should be more general in verbalizing a subject, etc., then follow up with more details as they progress in chunks that are more conducive to learning, and most importantly toward retention. A bit like giving a topic with a very short initial paragraph to cover the main points like they do in news stories or newspapers, etc., then expanding in the content that one can either read or not read as the moment dictates. At least the story is there for future reference and study if the practitioner so desires.
Then, when warranted in training and practice as each moment presents some inspiration it could warrant another discussion of similar duration with follow up detailed discussion or written material or video, etc.
Humans can only take in so much in one sitting ergo why lectures at University are often an hour where notes are taken, research is done as followup or homework, papers are written and reviewed with comments to direct effort and progression is achieved through this process. Over time, the practitioner/student will grow, expand and understand while building up a source of data they can rely on in their pursuit of martial and karate proficiency and expertise.
In the art of, “Martial Communications,” as with conflict as well as social the techniques are the same while the discipline and subjects involved change, constantly. Humans are social and that social drive is about species survival through cooperation and evolving human communications skills are how we do that, survive and thrive.
In martial arts as well as karate in modern times those who have come before are starting to recognize and realize how modern practitioners are now finding gaps in their knowledge, applications and understanding of martial arts and karate (emphasis on self-fense due to its inherent violent dangers).
It is because of this that I attempt to convey a new principle called, “Martial Communications.” Communications are about cooperation, i.e., in this instance about the exchange of information, theories, ideas and experiences to communicate what is needed and necessary to both evolve as martial artists and karate-ka but to survive in a world that still has conflict and violence (as I define it from a simply emotional discussion to the full blow all out wars humans endure).
The following notes are provided to present thoughts toward further research, study, practice and understanding. It is about presenting terse like information that triggers facts, ideas and theories you can study, analyze and then synthesize into a form of martial communications that will span not just the dojo floor but the world when applying martial self-fense skills in avoidance and deescalation, i.e., what professionals might call conflict communications (google conflict communications to learn about this).
Excerpts/Notes:
“Presenting facts that conflict with an individual’s worldview, it turns out, can cause people to dig in further. Psychologists, aptly, dubbed this the ‘backfire effect.' Learn how to communicate facts/information strategically.”
“In addition to presenting facts and figures, they appeal to emotions. This could mean not simply explaining the science of how something works but spending time on why it matters to the author and why it ought to matter to the reader.”
“Communicators can be more effective after they’ve gained the audience’s trust.”
Refuting stories that deny martial beliefs by addressing each claim and explaining why it’s wrong is not that productive. In fact, it could be counterproductive: “If you repeat the myth, that’s the part people remember even if you immediately debunk it, she says. A better approach, she suggests, is to reframe the issue. Don’t just keep explaining why your view, theory, idea or belief is true and real - explain how your view, theory, idea or belief will harm and adversely effect practice, training and the practitioner. Communication that appeals to values, not just intellect, research shows, can be far more effective.”
INQUIRY: What is rhetorician? It is, “An expert in formal rhetoric; a speaker whose words are primarily intended to impress or persuade. The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques; language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content.”
Create a model of, “Martial Communications.”
Explain martial arts and karate strategically:
- Gain your audiences trust (be it many or just one).
- Don’t Refute, Reframe and present references to support your views.
- Refuting stories that deny martial beliefs by addressing each claim and explaining why it’s wrong is not that productive.
- Don’t just keep explaining why your view, theory, idea or belief is true and real - explain how your view, theory, idea or belief will harm and adversely effect practice, training and the practitioner. Communication that appeals to values, not just intellect, research shows, can be far more effective.
- Explain why it matters.
- Explanations lead to curiosity and curiosity leads to study and study leads to connecting to others and conneting to others lead to communication and communication comes through cooperation and cooperation leads to evolving, growing and understanding of self, others and society.
- Refrain from scientific like factual explanations and speak to the emotional side of the topic or subject under review/discussion.
- Don’t attack the belief system by reframing the subject, presenting the facts, explain how that hurts them and their practices and their beliefs, and appeal to values along with research, references and to intellect.
- Use figures of speech and symbolism to persuade (compositional techniques).
- Be sincere and provide meaningful content.
Martial communications is many things but in short I would consider it as, “Communicative competence is a term in linguistics which refers to a language user's grammatical knowledge of syntax, morphology, phonology and the like, as well as social knowledge about how and when to use utterances appropriately.”
QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH:
- What is communicative competence?
- Communicative competence is a term in linguistics which refers to a language user's grammatical knowledge of syntax, morphology, phonology and the like, as well as social knowledge about how and when to use utterances appropriately.
- What is syntax?
- the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.
- What is morphology?
- the study of the forms of words.
- The study and description of how words are formed in language.
- What is phonology?
- the system of relationships among the speech sounds that constitute the fundamental components of a language; the branch of linguistics that deals with systems of sounds (including or excluding phonetics), especially in a particular language.
- What is social knowledge?
- The collective body of knowledge produced by your community or social circle is what is known as social knowledge. In a social or cultural context, social knowledge can be the collective knowledge base of small groups, like a family, or it can be a massive and constantly evolving body of knowledge, like Wikipedia.
- What are compositional techniques?
- In the visual arts, composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject.
- Techniques and principles in composition? The placement, arrangement and proper collective creation of words to properly and accurately convey a meaning from one source to another.
- The act of combining parts or elements to form a whole; manner of being composed; structure; the act or process of producing a literary work.
What I am trying to do is create an atmosphere and dojo community that will foster and build a small group who come to understand the many myriad things that make martial arts and karate so fruitful, beneficial and provide us all the tools we can use not just for Self-fense or competition but in every day life itself.
Becoming better people, better citizens, and better friends and neighbors is how we all survive; how we live in relative harmony with an enlightened sense of mutual connective social emotional maturity that helps us all, “Just get along.”
Bibliography (Click the link)
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| This article and my thoughts, theories, ideas, etc., have nothing to do with this book and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT if you teach or work in a profession that deals with conflicts and violence, etc. |
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