Fun with Language

The Supreme Court is in the midst of a debate over Obama’s Health Care bill. A friend sent me this a while back when the government was giving out bailouts. Just replace “bailouts” with “healthcare” and doesn’t it describe the current controversy?

Doctors have also taken a position on bailouts. The Allergists voted to
scratch it, the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves,
Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists
thought the Administration had a lot of nerve, and the Obstetricians felt
they were all laboring under a misconception. The Ophthalmologists
considered the idea shortsighted. The Pathologists yelled, “Over my dead
body!” while the Pediatricians said, “Oh, Grow up!” The Psychiatrists
thought the whole idea was madness, the Radiologists could see right through
it, and the Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The
Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons
said, “This puts a whole new face on the matter.” The Podiatrists thought it
was a step forward, but the Urologists felt the scheme wouldn’t hold water.
The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the
Cardiologists didn’t have the heart to say no!

Who says doctors don’t have a sense of humor!

Quote of the Week

“If the writing is honest it cannot be separated from the man who wrote it.” Tennessee Williams

Power up your communications – Part 2 – avoiding killer words

Today in this post we continue examining words that make you look weak and how to replace defeatist words with power words.

Being apologetic

“Sorry” and “Just” are the two most offensive words in this category. Eliminate sorry unless you are truly making an apology. “Just” creates the inference that what you are saying is not important and you are apologizing for inconveniencing the other person to have to attend to your communication.

Flabby, tentative words

Phrases such as “would like to” “might be able to” “helped out” all make you sound weak. Use action words that accurately describe what can do or will do. Action words make you a doer. Doers get jobs done. 
 
 Defeatist words:

If you continually use defeatist words you will defeat yourself before you even start. These words not only send out negative messages but also program you internally for failure. The following shows some defeatist phrases and how they can be turned into more positive ones:

Defeatist	Powerful
“I have to”	“I choose to”
“I might”	“I will”
“Maybe”	“Certainly”
“I can’t”	“I can”
“I don’t know”	“I’ll find out”
“I’ll think about it”	“Let me give it some thought”

 Sometimes it is not just the word itself but the choice between 2 different words that can add or subtract power from what you say.

For example, in “Friendliness is a salesman’s best asset,” you replace “friendliness” with “a smile”. The new sentence reads, “A smile is a salesman’s best asset.” Friendliness conveys too many things, and is ambiguous. However, the word smile always has a positive connotation, everyone is won over by a smile, and the word can easily be visualized. 

Lastly, peppering your sentences with “Ah,” “Oh,” “Like,” “Sure,” or any other word that has no real use in a sentence (just listen to a teenager and you’ll see what I mean!) makes you sound less intelligent.

The old adage says “the pen is mightier than the sword.” In your communications, make sure your words are sharp like daggers, not dull like butter knives!

Quote of the Week

My favorite quote of all is Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Fun with language – Watch Your Bs

We all know how the wrong use of its and it’s, theirs and there’s can alter the meaning of a sentence. But this one, with the extra “b” had me and other members of the forum either laughing or scratching our heads:

Original post
              Rabbi’s Clinic Scheduled
A response
          I think Bob meant Rabies Clinic 🙂 Unless the Rabbis are indeed giving the shots 😉

Quote of the Week

“Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own.” Carol Burnett

Power up your communications – Part 1- avoiding killer words

Like the clothes you wear, the words you chose paint a picture of yourself. The receiver of your communications (especially in print/online where you cannot be seen nor heard) judges you based upon the selection of those words. In telephone conversations, your choice of language must not only grab and hold attention in the first 10 seconds but also exude knowledge and trust. Too often the words or phrases we use sabotage or diminish the impact of our message. 

Out of the millions of words in the English language, the following words and phrases have the greatest chance of draining the power from your communications and making the listener think less of you.

The motivation killer word: Should

This word makes you sound weak. It’s a passive word, and when people hear it they feel you are proclaiming to the world that you agree on one course of action that would be appropriate, but you’d rather do the exact opposite. Or that you know exactly what you need to do to make things better and you haven’t started yet! Psychologically, it poisons your own motivation and ambitions whenever you think of your goals as “shoulds”. Replace it with the word “will” and see how the power starts flowing!

“Waffling”

In any form of communication, using these two words, “believe” (as in I believe) and “hopefully” will weaken your position. For example, saying “I believe the solution is…” makes it a personal opinion. Leaving out the word “believe” and stating affirmatively “The solution is…” presents it as a fact.

The word hopefully is at its most destructive when you are trying to be persuasive or convincing. No one pays you to hopefully get something done! Instead state what you WILL achieve/do. People don’t want to feel you are full of hope, they want to feel confident that YOU are confident in your ability to carry out your actions.

Using words that ask permission

When you are conducting business, asking for permission takes away any authority you have. Starting your sentences with “May I,” “Could I,” “Can I,” along with tacking on “Please” makes you sound like a child begging its parent for candy. State simply what you require, and end with a cordial “please.” This puts you in the driver’s seat and earns you respect.

Part 2 will examine some words that make you look weak and how to replace defeatist words with power words.

Quote of the Week

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.” — W. Somerset Maugham

Fun With Language – spice up your sentences!

Language can be dull or inspired! It can be a plain statement or something that grabs your attention. If you want your communications to have umph, then add a little spice to your sentences…here is an example I just couldn’t pass up:
He could make a sentence stand up and be noticed. It was as if he had put viagra in the ink!