September 19, 2016

September 19, 2016 

Written by Maximus Peperkamp, M.S. Verbal Engineer

Dear Reader,

I am not helpless or afraid to act. I know exactly what I do and accept the consequences of my actions. The people who are in my life are as I view them. Each of my students and each of my clients can attest to the fact that as the semester passes, as they see and hear me more often, their interactions with others and with themselves are changing. 

As their knowledge about spoken communication changes, they begin to develop new repertoire and have different opportunities. Pessimism and cynicism change into naturalism and optimism. By addressing and by understanding our social problems we practice a different way of life which is more balanced. As we learn about the distinction between Sound Verbal Behavior (SVB) and Noxious Verbal Behavior (NVB) it is apparent that this progress was impossible without this distinction. 

We were lacking the skill to produce ongoing SVB and produced NVB by default. It is nobody’s fault as there was nobody who was able to teach it. It took me many years to accept that I am apparently the only one who knows enough to be able to teach about the SVB/NVB distinction. 

This is not because I am special, but because I have had a behavioral history which prepared me for this. You too can learn about and teach SVB and NVB which are two entirely natural and verifiable phenomena. 

When you talk with me, you discriminate these two response classes without any effort. There is nothing exclusive about the SVB/NVB distinction and when you learn about it you will be able to pass it on to others regardless of where they come from. The application of this science of spoken communication reliably creates better relationships. Moreover, the presence of SVB always signifies the absence of NVB.