I just remembered an incident from several years ago when my business associate, one of Australia’s best kitchen designers, and I were at the home of one of my clients.

The client had expressed interest in a new kitchen to my friend, and I chimed in with a comment that he had created a kitchen a few weeks before for one of my daughters (an interior designer) who was thrilled with the result.

After we left, my friend thanked me for edifying him to the client. This puzzled me, because edifying is something you do TO a person, directly. It’s not something you do to SOMEONE ELSE about a third person. It is NOT synonymous with “glorify” or even “honour”.

When I sought clarification, it turned out that he’d learned that distorted meaning from (yep, you guessed it) a visiting US sales trainer!

Like most things about the US, especially when it comes to the English language, no-one does it better… and no-one does it worse!

The problem comes from misinterpreting the intention of the word “to build up”, often used in dictionary entries for “edify”. It does NOT mean to build the person up in the eyes of others. It isn’t a third party verb. It means to build them up in the sense of lifting them up in their own eyes… so that they see THEMSELVES from a more positive perspective.

Efficiency is doing things right.

Effectiveness is doing the right things.

Efficacy is about doing what you say you’ll do. Doing the right things, in the right way, for the right reasons.

I agree with you. Edify is one of those problem words that most people never really quite know the meaning of, so they use it to mean what they THINK it means. It’s an old-fashioned concept, but very precise in its true meaning.

Edify does not enter into the process, in my mind. I’m probably at odds with the NM industry – but so what – I don’t use or relate to the term.

Even your more benign meaning is still uniquely US/MLM… edification is about enlightenment and inspiration. It’s not something you say ABOUT someone to another person.

It’s something you say TO someone to uplift their spirits and broaden their understanding.

John

On the curiosity approach – it hate the manipulation involved. Had the experience quite a while ago with a distributor for xxxxx company not much doubt which one. Phoned and asked for an appointment – I asked point blank if he was from xxxxx he said no – so went ahead – full flip chart pitch still no reference to xxxxx at the end (and suspecting the worst) I asked him about the products involved, they not being mentioned to this point, the distributor had to go out to his car and bring back the xxxxx catalog (like a phone book) but he still maintained it was not xxxxx – he left quickly.
Credibility for xxxxx shot for ever.