Flex Your Buzz

Building the Context

This post and the game were inspired by an event that took place several years ago, which I touched on in the previous post called Context May Be King, but Flexibility is Queen.

It talks about the importance of being able to adapt to various environments, i.e., contexts, and to adjust your delivery accordingly. Without it, no message can ever be truly conveyed.

While I was teaching, I always tried to make my course attendees adopt new words through real-life applications, not as something strictly context-specific. For example, one of the exercises I always insisted on was putting a certain word in as many contexts as possible through different games, not just learning it as part of a specific lesson. The attendees were rarely enthusiastic about such tortures, but like I said, they don’t call me the Ubiquitous Overlord for no reason.

That said, with time, whenever new attendees joined the group, I would notice how far ahead the old ones were when it came to the actual acquisition of new knowledge. They would just “accept” the new (for example) vocabulary as the first step of the upcoming challenge, as opposed to the new ones that would take it as “the unknown” and treat it as such.

Building on the Context

This “skill of learning,” reflected in the ability to adapt, is one of the first pillars I used to create PREXcoaching®.

Today, we practice this skill in a slightly different way, but the bottom line remains the same – the more flexible you are, the more doors you’ll be able to open. Contextual shapeshifting for the mortals, if you prefer it that way.

So instead of putting one word in as many contexts as possible, we use the intended message and translate that from one context to another, using the right words, tone, and other parameters necessary.

OK, I have to admit that translating experience, along with teaching, also played a huge role in shaping this and similar exercises.

But they all share the same goal – being able to explain various ideas in different contexts through different deliveries, as seen in the above-mentioned post.

Void of Context

Yet, there are certain situations that are tone-deaf, such as using buzzwords in the corporate world.

Buzzwords are one of those things most people understand but cannot truly pinpoint in terms of exact meaning. If you don’t believe me, and if you speak any other language than, for example, English, try translating them while keeping the original message as clear and direct as in English.

For example, you may hear “Let’s circle the wagons before we boil the ocean,” at a corporate meeting, but if you use the same sentence to talk about your weekend plans with a taxi driver, you’ll know what you want to say, but the poor taxi driver most likely won’t have a clue.

Flex Your Buzz

Below is a game – or if you prefer, an exercise/activity – called Flex Your Buzz.

The game practices clear communication by turning jargon into plain language that matches the audience, tone, and setting.

Switching contexts requires quick adaptation and shifting in thinking, which encourages mental agility and cognitive flexibility.

It also helps you build confidence to speak up with your true voice, honing your sensitivity to your own, inherent way of expressing yourself.

Plus, it’s a really nice exercise for practicing public speaking and holding presentations to avoid getting stuck and being at a loss for words.

You can play this game and its variations in different types of workshops, training and coaching sessions, pitch practices, improv events, and even in language learning.

It’s highly customizable, replayable, and scalable, which makes it valuable across many settings for many types of learners.

To play Flex Your Buzz, first select the buzzword or a phrase, and then pick a context to adapt it to. You can choose more contexts for the same buzzword/phrase.

Have fun flexing!

Where and how would this game be most useful to you?

Get in touch & let us know.

Share the post to help someone flex their buzz. 🐝