From Jargon to Clarity: Turning Terms into Understanding

Image by Felix Wolf from Pixabay

As consultants and industry professionals, we often take for granted the terms we use every day. But what seems like common language to us can be a whole different story for others outside our industry. One such term is “granularity”. Granularity refers to the level of detail or precision within a particular context. It can be applied across various fields.

As a Competency Development & Assessment Consultant, I used the term in a recent workshop within the context of mapping existing courses to the Occupational Competency Profile and highlighted the importance of identifying the "right level of granularity" for the mapping exercise.

What impressed me was how quickly my (very excellent) client team took the initiative to clarify the term. They not only sought a better understanding but also asked for additional resources and tools to truly grasp how to use the idea of “level of granularity” in practical ways. So, we went one layer deeper to discuss how to map different components of a course with specific pieces of information in the competency profile. Should we map topics, lessons, or entire courses? And should those be aligned with competency areas, key competencies within each area, or the specific knowledge and performance requirements within each competency? It became a very nuanced and valuable conversation. And based on that, we came up with usable and workable tools and templates that reflected the level of granularity we were looking for.

That conversation reminded me of how vital it is to clarify industry jargon. What’s simple for us can be vague or ambiguous for someone new to the conversation. By breaking down these terms, we not only help establish shared understanding but also create opportunities for richer discussions and insights.

So, the next time you dive into a conversation, remember: clarity can turn confusion into connection and collaboration!

What’s an industry term or jargon that you’ve explained recently?

Magnifying Your Spirit

Photo by Taruna Goel (Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver, Oct 24)

I didn't think I'd get poetic here but life surprises us in wonderful ways. This morning, I read the most beautiful post by Maria Popova in "The Marginalian". This week's post was a celebration of the 18th anniversary of the birth of The Marginalian where she shared her top 18 learnings from writing The Marginalian for 18 years. All learnings are insightful and beautifully articulated but the 8th one especially spoke to me.

8. Seek out what magnifies your spirit.
"Patti Smith, in discussing William Blake and her creative influences, talks about writers and artists who magnified her spirit — it’s a beautiful phrase and a beautiful notion. Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit? Find them, hold on to them, and visit them often. Use them not only as a remedy once spiritual malaise has already infected your vitality but as a vaccine administered while you are healthy to protect your radiance."

Reading this got me wondering who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify my spirit? I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and calm knowing I have more than a few...

Perhaps the biggest magnifier of my spirit is Nature. It completes my lived experience like nothing else can. I feel a deep, spiritual connection to Nature as it effortlessly prompts the feelings of joy, reflection, peace, and gratitude within me; I am constantly in awe of it and endlessly inspired by it. The most magical effect of Nature is that it reminds me of how little I matter against the vastness of the universe and at the same time it magnifies my inner light in ways that are bigger than I can imagine.

Poetic much?

Who are the people, ideas, and books that magnify your spirit?

If you don't follow Maria Popova's work already, here's a gentle nudge to give it a try.

https://www.themarginalian.org/2024/10/22/marginalian-18/

So Hum - "I am That"

I have a deep, personal connection with the words, So hum. 

So hum is a mantra that means "I am That". In Vedic philosophy, it means identifying oneself with the universe or ultimate reality. 

(…) तेजो यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ॥१६॥

“The light which is thy fairest form, I see it. I am what That is“

(A mantra is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, a word, or a group of words in Sanskrit believed to have psychological and spiritual powers. The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit by Hindus in India, and are at least 3000 years old.)

This past week, I had the privilege of attending a lecture by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Potawatomi educator, botanist, and bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass. 

(The event was presented in partnership with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Critical Indigenous Studies at The University of British Columbia, Museum of Anthropology at UBC and the Vancouver Institute.)

Her talk, “Restoration and Reciprocity: Healing Relationships with the Natural World,” was both profound and thought-provoking and reminded me yet again about the power of oneness.

One key takeaway from Dr. Kimmerer's lecture was the concept of reciprocal, biocultural restoration, that in healing the land, we heal ourselves. She challenged us to think beyond land as property but land as a keeper of knowledge, not as a belonging but as a source of belonging, and not as a right but an entity with which we must build a relationship based on responsibility.

As I was taking notes during the lecture, I realized how this perspective aligns so well with Hindu philosophies that emphasize the intrinsic value of nature, not just as a resource for human use but as part of a spiritual whole. Dr. Kimmerer's ideas resonated deeply with me within the context of the environmental teachings that I grew up with as shared by my parents and grandparents and our ancestors, where nature is viewed as sacred. In Hinduism, we view the Earth (Bhumi), as a goddess, worthy of reverence and protection. Beyond that, the principle of Dharma central to the Hindu worldview is at its core about living in balance and harmony with nature. The Panch Mahabhutas (five elements—earth, water, fire, air, and space) are the foundation of life. And, maintaining balance among them is seen as essential to sustaining the world.

Dr. Kimmerer asked a crucial question: How do we reciprocate the gifts the earth offers us? One powerful answer she gave is through education. But what does it really mean to be an educated person? Is it the number of years in school, the number of degrees, the number of years on Earth, or something more? Dr. Kimmerer reminded us that "An educated person knows their own gifts and how to give them to the world."

As we honour the experiences of Indigenous peoples and commit to the work of reconciliation, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, I am reflecting on how I can apply these teachings in my own life both as an educator and as a learner. Dr. Kimmerer’s reflections on traditional ecological knowledge, biocultural restoration, and two-eyed seeing—the integration of both Indigenous and Western ways of knowing—feel especially important today. She asked each of us to think about what if, instead of human exceptionalism, our conservation efforts were guided by kinship and interconnectedness. What if healing our relationship with the land became part of our reconciliation journey?

By restoring our relationship with Earth, we can all move closer to restoring our relationships with one another.

#TruthAndReconciliation #Restoration #IndigenousKnowledge #ReciprocalRestoration #TraditionalHinduWorldview #Hinduism #Sanskrti #LandBack #TwoEyedSeeing #HealingOurLand #BraidingSweetgrass #EducationAsReciprocity