On Wed, Mar 27, 2013 at 8:54 PM, ASF IRC Services < [email protected]> wrote:
> 3. 1.2.2 > a. someone explain xylophone (Wohali, 3) > b. ship 1.2.2 (jan____, 3) > "Xylophone" is single word, a compression, of a complex, subtle idea. The goal of xylophone is to return immediately to the original conversation without any social stigma or discomfort. "Xylophone" means, "With respect, this conversation has reached diminishing returns. While I acknowledge its importance, I propose that we table it and pop the conversation stack, back to the more urgent issue." The key to xylophone is, nobody loses face. Nobody is accusing anybody of any wrongdoing, of wasting time, of being unprofessional. Nothing like that. An individual may utter the word, but xylophone is a mantra the group tells itself. Nobody is keeping score. When somebody invokes "xylophone," proper etiquette is to **immediately** halt the conversation--mid sentence even--and return back to the main discussion. Remember, xylophone is not an accusation. There is no shame in being xylophoned. (Carrying on the less-urgent discussion, however--**that** is shameful.) There are regional dialects. People in the San Francisco Bay Area say "Styrofoam." -- Iris Couch
