ABBREVIATION; THE SPEECH KILLER by Akinwalere Temitayo_

MENTOR IMPACT INITIATIVE

Akinwalere Temitayo 

ABBREVIATION, THE SPEECH KILLER

_by Akinwalere Temitayo_

Thursday, 14/05/2020

Well what is Abbreviation,  

Abbreviation is the shortened form of words. It is known that Abbreviation originated from shorthand. 

It is quite a pity that Abbreviation has now become the other of day as most people learn to use the social media with the use of Abbreviation.

Consequently, the upcoming generation are more affected in this as most of them are not able to write a complete sentence without the use of an abbreviation.

*_WHY IS ABBREVIATION BAD_*

Abbreviation is bad because not only does it make the user look ✅ *incompetent*  but also because it could cause:

✅Danger (as in Health)

✅Quarrels ( could be seen as an insult)

✅Bad habits (as such user easily get acquainted with it)

✅Make an important message look like a joke

Now let's quickly take these one after the other.

*Incompetence*

Let's take a very good example at someone who is driving a point through an important discussion but rather than write the word YOU wrote it as a  letter U. *_Just like in education, if one writes a letter U with an extended stroke, no matter how big the letter may look it is regarded as a small letter_* 

So also in corporate environments, a letter is known as a letter and such mistakes which was learned through several uses becomes too costly.

*Danger (as in health)*

According to a recent report from a Canandian hospital, they tagged the same use of letter U instead of YOU as a dangerous Abbreviation in their words:

*They are referred to as "dangerous" or "error-prone" because they can lead to misinterpretation of orders and other communications, resulting in patient harm or death.*

This is how dangerous Abbreviation can be in this sector.

*QUARRELS*

Abbreviations can  and have also led so many quarrels as misinterpretation of words or even a wrong usage of word is totally unacceptable 

Using myself as a good example.

*I will never use the F- word, and while responding to a question on a seminar I was giving some days back, one of the students wrote _wtf_ I took an offence in it because I do not accept such words and I do not use them. 

Many have misinterpreted so many abbreviations and it has caused many issues.

*BAD HABIT*

There was a popular saying I heard as I was growing, we say in Yoruba, *Oun ti o da, o da, ko loruko meji*

If we look around, when one picks up an habit, just like in smoking, mannerism and even unnecessary apology, 

Such person(s) become accustomed to it and it all goes back to the other points I have highlighted above.

The difference between typing a word correctly and the Abbreviation is in split seconds.

*Make an important message lose its value*

The social media is a place where many people are able to open up their minds but one very important thing I learnt in my trainings as a public speaker was to always use the right words as it would mean differently.

We type words in a gist, forgetting that some others who read them are learning.

I tell my students to speak confidently because in every rubbish there is a gain.

Take an example, I was discussing with a lady sometime ago and the lady jokingly told me she would punch me *punctiliously* it meant nothing to her and I have not heard the word before. Days later I was trying to learn a new word and lo I saw punctilious in the dictionary. I called her and she was surprised.

That is how important every word is.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO.

“I play tennis five hours a week, from Monday to Friday, for one hour every day. I like to be fit. If I can't exercise, I feel bad.”

– Bjorn Borg

Just like Borg said in the quote above, at every point we must discourage the use of *Abbreviation,* If we continue to write the words in full, it will help us to gain our confidence, the required respect and add value to our words.

*“When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways -*

*either by losing hope and falling into self-destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.”* – Dalai Lama

We must not let the revolution of the social media make us lose our values. We must strive not to use abbreviations.

Compiled by; *Gbenga Oyedare (Mentor)*