A person holds open a dictionary, revealing definitions of various words on glossy pages, including "impose," "impractical," "imprison," "improve," and "improper."

Resolution 2020: To proactively streamline utilization of erudite vocabulary

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Jan 30, 2020

It’s the beginning of a new year and I have resolved to take things into my hands.

This year, I will seamlessly integrate goal-oriented physical exertion into my calendar, to synergistically build it up as a core competency.

That’s not all.

I have also decided to proactively cultivate my bibliophilic propensities by incorporating stretch reading goals.

In my excitement, I also mentioned to my partner that we could collaboratively re-conceptualize our domestic chore allocation and substantially increase our efficiency by leveraging on our mutual vision of an egalitarian household. Would you believe it, he brushed me off! To that, I say, he is not being customer-centric!

Why am I talking like that, you ask? That’s a resolution as well. To speak the way corporations and brands talk: in jargon.

References

  1. https://www.quotes.net/show-quote/32456
  2. Pennebaker, J. W., Chung, C. K., Frazee, J., Lavergne, G. M., & Beaver, D. I. (2014). When small words foretell academic success: The case of college admissions essays. PloS one9(12), e115844
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_principle#Grice’s_maxims
  4. Oppenheimer, D. M. (2006). Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: Problems with using long words needlessly. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 20(2), 139-156.
  5. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7144975-i-apologize-for-such-a-long-letter—i-didn-t
  6. Sutherland, R (2019). Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don’t Make Sense
  7. Mayer, R. E. (1989). Systematic thinking fostered by illustrations in scientific text. Journal of educational psychology, 81(2), 240.
  8. Levie, W. Howard, and Richard Lentz. “Effects of text illustrations: A review of research.” Ectj 30, no. 4 (1982): 195-232.

About the Author

A smiling woman in a sleeveless pink dress stands against a red brick wall next to a metal fence. Part of a red sign is visible in the top right corner.

Preeti Kotamarthi

Staff Writer · Grab

Preeti Kotamarthi is the Behavioral Science Lead at Grab, the leading ride-hailing and mobile payments app in South East Asia. She has set up the behavioral practice at the company, helping product and design teams understand customer behavior and build better products. She completed her Masters in Behavioral Science from the London School of Economics and her MBA in Marketing from FMS Delhi. With more than 6 years of experience in the consumer products space, she has worked in a range of functions, from strategy and marketing to consulting for startups, including co-founding a startup in the rural space in India. Her main interest lies in popularizing behavioral design and making it a part of the product conceptualization process.

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