CHOOSING WORDS CAREFULLY
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Better words matter – not to score high in scrabble, but to win hearts and minds to our pitch, message, and point of view.
Whatever we say either grows our reputation, taking it to higher ground, or takes us to a lesser place in others’ view – too often for want of better word choices or better conveyance of meaning.
If we slow down our race to speak, taking time to use fewer words – better words, more precise terms, we more effectively say what we want to say, so others can hear more exactly what meaning we meant to convey.
Well-worn expressions are familiar and often over-used, like an old shoe, worn down at its heels – serviceable, of course, but better replaced or repaired to appear rehabilitated, retrieved from the trash heap of unimportant things where weary-worn abstractions and old footwear are discarded …
Using more precise language abets us walking steadier, taller, with stable posture and more thought-out purpose than we do in squashy old loafers lacking structural integrity.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
How we say something determines our intent and seriousness – so the more worthy our words, the more necessary care in their presentation is required.
For the next word, choose another term; select better names for thoughts or sentiments, or possibly insert an uncommon word worth using for better impact. Not because it’s slang, or trendy, or profane, but because it exclaims and explains your message, and strengthens regard for the messenger, so the recipient gets it clearly and plainly with power the message was intended to have.