One Word Feeling
Spied on the Emirates stadium Legends tour today. Please RT. This is amazing. Gooners need to see this. ❤️ #Arsenal pic.twitter.com/jDmk4qnc6u
— GiantCalGunner (@GiantCalGunner) March 10, 2024
Last night's knockout second-leg to reach UCL QFs gave us the competition's first penalty shoot-out since Real prevailed over Atletico in the 2016 Final.
A couple o' days prior, the above fan snap caught my eye. Somewhere in or around the stadium dressing room, seventeen of subsequent victor Arsenal's first-team squad wrote on a whiteboard their one-word reply to the question; How Does Playing [Here] Make You Feel?
There's quite a bit to unpack from this for own purposes I sense.
If you did such exercise for a team you're in or running, what would you ask?
Swapping out their arena's Playing for the likes of Working? Selling? Being?
I think you'd be best off asking each to provide their personal word separately. Without undue influence from seeing how team-mates feel.
By all means then ask each (as you hold their notelets in your hand) to write up on the board.
Also striking about the above, is how similar the handwriting and orientation is. So perhaps someone wrote a few on certain players' behalves.
In their case, hardly any have English as their first language. Being footballers in general you don't expect they'd buck the longtime trend and have the bookishness of an English Lit graduate. As I'd have been tempted to pick a deliberately fancy word. Yet here, there's perhaps a layer of visceral authenticity through vocab simplicity.
Four chose Excited. Almost teen in its expression. Easy to get behind.
Still, marvel at such trio as:
Dane MØ4; Love.
German False Nine and previous UCL Winner, maybe having a second go judging by the only rubbing out, KH9; Enjoyment.
And colourful Englishman with a life beyond the game seemingly at odds with the (increasingly outdated stereotypical?) norm, BW4; Privileged.
As well as my penchant for a sesquipedalian (!) response, I would've tried different distinguishers. Or to borrow from CS17, get Unique.
Use a different colour.
When seeing everyone writing in a similar fashion, as in rising left-to-right straight line - odd too, given the expected presence of left-handers - I'd have arranged my word's letters in a different way. Such as in a circle with my initials and shirt number in the middle. Or a letter grid with line separating end of word and start of my ident.
Or even placement. As most seem to have chosen a spot sort of in keeping with their position on the pitch. Something instead like vertically along the penalty box line.
Beyond ourselves, how would we like our customers to answer such a one-worder about how using our wares makes them feel? For instance if applicable, that first time our app opens up?
And how could we ask a few of them? Gently if possible.