By Rich Sloane
UCF Forum columnist
Villainous actor Strother Martin uttered a classic line in the movie "Cool Hand Luke" that stands at No. 11 on the American Film Institute's top 100 movie quotations of American cinema's first century: "What we've got here is failure to communicate."
As one whose right brain vastly overpowers his left, I'm compelled to focus on communication. What I've noticed of late is that as a people, Americans are experiencing a heinous failure to communicate, to the detriment of our society and quality of life.
As I see it, the principal cause of this situation is the advance of technology.
Look around and you're bound to see people with their heads buried in an electronic device.
You may argue that electronic communication is, after all, communication. But it is communication at its lowest common denominator.
I'm all thumbs at the game of texting, and abbreviations that leave much to the imagination are a danger to human interaction. It took me a while to figure out that LOL did not mean the correspondent was lolling around.
And OMG? For the longest time I thought I was conversing with Mork from Ork. BFF? Don't even go there! On a day that the stock market dropped more than 100 points, Twitter was up. OMG!
The spoken word is a beautiful gift to mankind. But it appears we are intent on treating it like an oversized sweater given by some distant aunt at the holiday season; we put it in a drawer and forget about it.
I pride myself on taking every opportunity to speak with people. When faced with a question posed electronically by fellow workers in another suite on another floor, I'll take every opportunity to go to their office and converse face to face.
The clarity of conversation is rewarding, replete with immediate feedback and unmistakable nuance. No chance of misinterpretation. No sense of "What does he mean by that?" Or "Did she misspell that word or does she really want me to keep my noose to the grindstone?" Ouch.
Conversation is coin of the realm in business, politics, education and just about every modern-day endeavor. Can you imagine Neil Armstrong texting back to earth, "OMG... that's one small step..." Not quite the same as a billion people hearing his words spoken from the moon's surface.
Perhaps the greatest contribution of the spoken word lies across a negotiating table. The Treaty of Versailles, the Korean Armistice Agreement, the Paris Peace Accords all were first shaped by words spoken across a table of negotiation. When peace finally comes to the Middle East, as I hope someday it will, undoubtedly the process will start with face-to-face conversation.
How, you may ask, can we return to the days of yesteryear, when conversation was a revered art? The answer lies in the tale of the Manhattanite who is asked by a tourist for directions, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer: practice, practice, practice.
Put down that mouse, get out of that chair and walk over to the next office. Put away that electronic gadget, get in the car and go see that client face to face. Just think how much more pleasant is a greeting of, "Good morning," than opening a conversation with BTW or FYI.
Help is out there to provide meaningful words with which to promote face-to-face conversation. My workplace offers up -- via electronic email -- a "Word of the Day." Can you work "lipogram" into the discussion? Or consider the Oxford Dictionaries' 2013 Word of the Year: "selfie." Self-explanatory, huh? Or how about "twerk," which recently was added to the Oxford Dictionaries Online. The dictionary said the word had been around for 20 years.
Where was I all those years? Probably deep in conversation.
Rich Sloane is director of community relations for the University of Central Florida's College of Education and Human Performance. He can be reached at Rich.Sloane@ucf.edu.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.