Do you occasionally use abbreviations like “pls,” “sry,” and “idk" in your texts, or are your texts filled with them?
Turns out…it might benefit us to spell out words in our messages.
A recent survey found that recipients of messages filled with abbreviations feel less connected and more disengaged from the sender. Overusing abbreviations signals to the recipient that they are not worth the effort and time to type a more detailed message.
Studies conducted in various scenarios revealed a similar result: people felt somewhat put off by abbreviated words, leading to the impression that the sender was insincere in their message. These results were consistent among strangers, friends, and romantic partners.
Why do we abbreviate?
Remember those good old flip phones from the early 2000s? Because you had to tap the “5” several times to type the letter L, people started to improvise. Familiar abbreviations like LOL, brb, and omg entered our vocabulary.
Does this mean you need to spell everything out? Absolutely not!
Occasional abbreviations are fine. However, you don’t want your entire message to be one gigantic abbreviation. If you struggle to connect with your audience, consider spelling out words. You will come across as more sincere!
a part or apart?
A colleague messaged me this week asking if you are “a part” or “apart” of a team. While I’ve looked up this topic several times, I always forget!
A part refers to something that is a piece of a larger group or a piece of something that is considered whole/together.
He was a part of their family.
Are you a part of Reese’s book club?
Apart means separated.
They live in the same city, but their houses are 20 miles apart.
Apart from the crazy meowing, my cat is the best companion!
He swore he’d never be apart from her for longer than five days!
Trick for remembering the difference?
I always remember that the phrase “a part” is a portion of something else (like a part of a car). It’s a part of something that makes up one unit or thing.
A MUCH-NEEDED LAUGH!
INSPIRATION
Károly Takács was a European champion and a member of the Hungarian 1938 world championship team in rapid-fire pistol shooting. In addition to being on the shooting team, Takács was a sergeant in the Hungarian army.
While practicing maneuvers, a grenade with a defective pin detonated in his right hand. His hand was severely maimed, which all but ended his pistol shooting career.
But, Takács was determined to persevere. He secretly began practicing with his left hand. A year later, he was back in top form – with his left hand. He won the Hungarian pistol-shooting championship and was also allowed to stay in the army due to his shooting fame.
Unfortunately, the 1940 and 1944 Olympics were canceled, delaying Takács’s dream of competing in the Olympics. Finally, in 1948, he qualified to compete in the Olympics.
Takács faced Argentina’s Carlos Valiente, the 1947 world champion and favorite to win. Valiente asked Takács, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to learn," replied Takács.
Takács broke Valiente's world record, surpassing it by 10 points! He won the gold medal and became the first physically disabled competitor in Olympic history. As the gold medal was placed around Takács’ neck, Valiente was heard muttering, “I think you've learned enough."
Takács was asked about his conversation with Valiente during an interview with Hungarian newspaper Nemzeti Sport. Takács recounted that Diaz told him, “Whoever can shoot like that under such conditions deserves the Olympic championship. He even admitted that he would not have been able to shoot after such an incident."
Takács went on to also win the Olympic gold medal at the 1952 Games in Helsinki, Finland.
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This story is a fantastic reminder to keep trying. I deeply admire Takács's grit and determination; I can’t fathom how dark and frustrating those months were after his accident. They always say our character is revealed in challenging situations, and I can’t think of a better example of that than Károly Takács.
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