Comments on: Without a context, the imagination runs wild http://www.eye-for-image.com/blog/without-a-context-the-imagination-runs-wild/ THE blog for copywriters and communicators Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:14:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Dan Elloway http://www.eye-for-image.com/blog/without-a-context-the-imagination-runs-wild/#comment-78 Dan Elloway Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:17:11 +0000 http://ready6.dev.visionteam.dk/blog/?p=71#comment-78 Hmm. When teaching English in Japan, I used to start every class by asking the students (five years old in this case) to answer a question before they came into the room. So the kids would line up, and I'd ask each one a question: How are you? How old are you? What's your name?, that sort of thing. Just before Christmas, I was dressed as Santa Claus and said to the first kid in a happy, booming Santa voice "Ho ho ho!". And the kid fired back, "I'm fine, thank you." And then I realised that they didn't understand what I said at all - they only knew the context (red suit or not) - Dan asks a question at the door and we answer. Hmm. When teaching English in Japan, I used to start every class by asking the students (five years old in this case) to answer a question before they came into the room. So the kids would line up, and I’d ask each one a question: How are you? How old are you? What’s your name?, that sort of thing.

Just before Christmas, I was dressed as Santa Claus and said to the first kid in a happy, booming Santa voice “Ho ho ho!”. And the kid fired back, “I’m fine, thank you.”

And then I realised that they didn’t understand what I said at all - they only knew the context (red suit or not) - Dan asks a question at the door and we answer.

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