Home » Blog » Using the right words – The Sunday Snippet – [8.11.13]

Using the right words – The Sunday Snippet – [8.11.13]

cialis www.studio10salonsuites.com Your words make or break your communications with family, friends, co-workers and customers. Why it pays to choose them carefully.

Words have tremendous power. They can persuade and inspire people to do great things. They can also discourage and dismiss.

Darlene Price is the president of WellSaid!, a presentation and communications consulting firm that teaches individuals and organizations “to speak with more confidence, clarity, and credibility.” She’s also the author of “Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results.”

scrabble

“With your words, you wield the power to plant seeds of either success or failure in the mind of another, and in the process you reveal who you are, how you think, and what you believe,” says Price.

It’s important to choose your words wisely because your words influence the number one factor of success:  attitude.

“Actions may speak louder than words, but words and thoughts are the seeds of those actions,” says Price. “Words announce to the world how you feel and what you think about important workplace values like respect, commitment, accountability, gratitude, initiative, service, and excellence.”

Price points out that all too often, marketing copy is too complex and uses too many buzzwords. Some of the most persuasive words are the simplest and shortest:

  • Affordable
  • Best
  • Convenient
  • Discover
  • Easy
  • Enjoy
  • Fast
  • Free
  • Guarantee
  • More
  • New
  • Power
  • Reduce
  • Results
  • Safe
  • Save
  • Time

These words help people visualize how they will feel if they work with you or use your products or services. Using the right combinations will trigger buying behavior.

Additional tips from Price:

  • Say “you” more than “I” when trying to persuade. It’s more appealing to directly address and include the listeners.
  • Use names. Using someone’s name conveys worth, value and importance. We all crave that and using names shows thoughtfulness and care.
  • Use positive words and phrases. Always try to start with “How can I help?” and then evaluate whether you have the time and skillset to add value.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote that “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

Sounds like a healing prescription for ailing communications.

Have a great week.

photo credit: Βethan via photopin cc

Sign up for The Sunday Snippet!

Sign up for The Sunday Snippet!

Good ideas to help you prosper delivered fresh each Sunday morning.

You have Successfully Subscribed!