Comments on: Why you do not want to sound like a robot

By: "Hey ya’ll": Informal Language is the way to go in E-Learning | Kapp Notes

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 11:06:49 +0000

[...] Also check out Cathy Moore’s take on the subject Why You Do Not Want to Sound Like a Robot. [...]

By: Anne-Laure Thomas

Anne-Laure Thomas — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:47:44 +0000

As an ESL person, I completely agree with Brenda’s way of seeing things. When someone speaks to me using no contractions, I understand that this person wants to put stress on words.
But in the course of my work, being an instructional designer, I confirm also that my SMEs in English would ask me to go for “no contractions”. They mostly are ESL SMEs…I will remember this post when justifying my choices.
And the funniest point is that I just wrote with no contractions. That IS the way we are taught English in France…

By: Brenda Raymond

Brenda Raymond — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:35:25 +0000

I teach students in my English classes that not using contractions is like me speaking Spanish and using pronouns before the verb — “yo voy”, “nosotros vamos”. In Spanish, the pronouns are unnecessary and annoying to listen to because they’re just not part of common speach. When they are used, it’s to put stress on the subject “yo” (I), as oppposed to “Ud.” (you). In English, when I say “I do not want you to do that”, I’m stressing the “not.” Two sentences ago, when I wrote “When they are used”, I wanted the ‘are’ to stand out — ‘are’ as opposed to ‘are not’. But if I had followed it with “it is to put stress” the “is” would have equally stood out which I didn’t want. My point is, whether I’m speaking or writing, contractions convey normal communication and lack of contractions conveys that I’m putting stress on the uncontracted word.

By: Tips på hur vi gör e-lärande lite roligare | Kurswebben

Tips på hur vi gör e-lärande lite roligare | Kurswebben — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:58:46 +0000

[...] Why you do not want to sound like a robot Cathy skriver om varför du inte vill skriva som en robot. Måste man vara tråkig av rädsla för att inte bli tagen på allvar, att inte verka seriös? [...]

By: Anders Bark

Anders Bark — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:47:01 +0000

I always use the research results of Clark and Mayer as design guidelines.

Sounding like a robot… I am struggling with this line right now: “…axial displacement as a result of thermal expansion of the shaft”.

//Anders

By: Sreya Dutta

Sreya Dutta — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:06:00 +0000

Hi Cathy,

I thought this was an extremely practical approach and totally concur with your views. I’ve always done what I thought would be more appealing to the learner even if it sounds more informal. I do use contractions like let’s especially for Web based tutorials, where i want the learner to understand that ‘we’ are going to learn something now.. “Let’s take a look at how…”

I really found this post very useful.

Thanks,
Sreya

By: Bottom-Line Performance » Blog Archive » Writing Courses: When it’s ok to break the rules

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:23:55 +0000

[...] Moore wrote a recent post, “Why you do not want to sound like a robot“. In it, she makes the point that conversational writing (which includes the use of [...]

By: Cathy Moore

Cathy Moore — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:58:13 +0000

Thanks for the interesting comments.

I think we get learners to reflect by asking them questions, and I think we’re naturally more likely to ask them questions if we’re writing in a conversational style. Addressing the reader as “you” reminds me that I’m talking to a person, which means I’m having a sort-of conversation, and in a conversation, you’re supposed to ask an occasional question to involve the other party, so asking questions becomes automatic.

As readers, I suspect our ingrained rules of politeness and self-interest make us listen more closely to someone who’s speaking directly to us and asking us questions. It’s harder for me to tune out someone who keeps saying “you” to me and asking for a response.

Frankly, I think some of the fear of conversational language comes from the fear of equality. Formal language establishes and maintains a hierarchy. I am superior to you if I can issue edicts in what would be rude language among friends. I am impressive if I can create long, complex sentences and use words with many syllables.

The need to impress is deeply engrained and often rewarded. I remember but can’t find a study that showed that teachers who claimed to prefer plain English actually gave higher grades to wordy, dry writing. We probably all have anecdotal reports of that.

I suspect that research into the cognitive effects of conversational style would do well to include readability scores in the mix. A conversational style may “teach” more not just because it increases connection but because it’s simpler and reduces cognitive load.

I’m very dimly aware of a lawsuit about an anti-harassment course that failed to stop harassment. I doubt the lawsuit involved the language of the course, but does anyone know more about that case?

By: Dan R

Dan R — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:08:49 +0000

@Scott – I don’t think using a conversational style will ‘force’ the learner to reflect and connect – I suspect the beneficial effect is rather more that it reduces the ‘distance’ the learner feels, thus making connection easier. The effect that Clark and Mayer get at is akin to the difference between listening to a lecture and being involved in a conversation.

I’m really not sure what the source of the fear of conversational language is – in most cases when I have queried a request to make things more formal the SME has usually agreed in principle, but then insisted that they are simply enforcing some mysterious dictat. I would guess that at the root of it is a fear that either:
1) learners will be ‘turned off’ by over-friendly language in just the same way hand-held camera work a la ER turns off some (usually older) viewers, or
2) informal language may not be perceived as precise enough, perhaps in the view of the law.

The first may be legitimate in the case of some target audiences. In the second case, is anyone aware of a training course ever forming part of a legal case against a company for failing to have taught them appropriately?

By: Scott

Scott — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:13:19 +0000

I am developing a dissertation question about this topic. I want to know if adult learners will learn more (not like it more) if the content is written in a conversational style that forces the learner to reflect and connect with the content. I think the use of an audio-tutorial or a study guide can be effective, but there is a lack of research.

I am in the Instructional Technology and Design program at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.