So this is definitely a pet-peeve post. Maybe it doesn’t bother anyone else, and I am truly alone in this. But I really don’t care if I’m the language or communication police today. This problem is rampant, and nobody seems to feel the need to say or do anything about it.
I’ve been noticing it for a long time, but it really hit me recently. I just flew to Europe on business and, without exception, when I was on Canadian airlines, the flight attendants mumbled and word blended their little speeches over the speaker. It was preposterous. Conversely, on the European airlines, the flight attendants were crystal clear!
Now for most of us, we’re used to the routine safety feature speeches. But as I sat there amongst foreigners on the Canadian carriers, I felt so sorry for them trying to decipher what some disinterested flight attendant was describing. I got so mad that I actually spoke up to one of the attendants. This kind of poor communication conveys two things to me: 1) they don’t find the message important enough to be clear about it, and 2) they expect everyone to understand their new form of language - mumblingwordblendingfasttalkingadianism. What arrogance! What self-centeredness!
Frankly I felt better about saying something about it. But few of us ever try to point it out.
It is clear something has changed right under our noses and we seem to care so little about it. This new communication style, or LACK of it, is the worst in young adults and youth. Sorry to be ageist… but these people are the most common group of mumblers, fast talkers and word blenders, without question.
It’s like it has now become fashionable to speak fast and blend words in order to be cool. Well guess what? It’s not. When someone does that in normal everyday speech, I perceive neglect – neglectful parents, teachers, and influencers. I believe that these mumblingfasttalkingwordblending people were never told to speak clearly. They were left to figure it out and this is the result.
For a little levity, I share this hilarious clip from the show Little Britain, featuring the character Vicky Pollard. You’ll catch the drift, it’s pretty funny.
“So what” you may say. And maybe it doesn’t matter to most people. But it matters to me, especially as the younger generation grows up. As a parent, I believe that clear communication is critical in all aspects of life – career, education, and professional and personal relationships. I have actually decided not to hire people based on their poor verbal communication style. Why? Because I’m not sure I could trust that they would be clear enough to speak to clients, media, vendors or colleagues.
As I said, rightly or wrongly, my perception of people who speak poorly is pretty negative: either they are arrogant or they feel that their conversation is unimportant. So I am left in the cold when I encounter this.
How do you feel about mumblers, fast talkers and word blenders? Am I alone here?
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