What are words worth?

The words we use are critical in our power to influence, so it is interesting how easily we can take our language for granted. As a generalisation most people don’t pay much attention to what they say, how they say it and what affect it may be having. When we do begin to notice more we can learn some valuable lessons that will help us to construct our use of words more carefully. Instead of using our language vaguely it becomes a precision tool rather than a blunt instrument in creating the outcomes we want.

Words powerfully affect our emotions

Words have the ability to open up our emotions and associations in a very powerful way. They can evoke memories just like hearing an old tune; they can fire up our imaginations and inspire us to greater accomplishments. Advertisers are masters at this and come up with incredibly powerful phrases-think of Nike and ‘Just do it’ for example.

Our words can also keep us from getting what we want because when we continue using the same words in the same way the results we experience will also be the same. Change your words and you change your world.

How often when you ask someone “how are you?” do they reply “not too bad” or “ok”? Maybe you reply like that yourself? How about “absolutely wonderful” or “fantastic” or “brilliant” for a change?

Listen for key words people say

Because we know that words open up emotions we can significantly raise our ability to influence by being more aware of what people say and using that information when talking back to them. For example, say you were discussing a clients requirements and you noticed that they used the words ‘freedom’ and ‘independence’ in describing what’s important to them, then using these words back to the client when presenting your solution will have high impact. They will appreciate that you talk their language.

Small changes that make a BIG difference

There are many subtle differences to the way language is used that can have quite an impact on the process of influence. I was recently working with a client who’s marketing system was bringing in plenty of people but the conversion rate to clients after the first meeting was low. One of the things we worked on when we discussed the situation was that at the end of the meeting she previously said “if you decide to come back…….” When we changed this to “when you come back…” she reported a significant rise in the take up rate…and got more clients and more business.

How motivated are they?

People will indicate how motivated (or de-motivated!) they are by using certain words. These are words such as will, want, may, might, must, have to, need, should, could, can’t, won’t etc. Although to a certain degree contextual, they generally indicate the direction that a persons thinking is going. If it sounds like their motivation is not as high as it needs to be then focusing them on their desired outcome may be more beneficial than continuing to persuade them to take action, at that point.

So, to draw to a conclusion, when considering ‘what are words worth’ we realise that they are one of the key elements to creating and crafting more powerful communication. By simply raising our awareness and noticing what’s being said an opportunity is gained to give far more considered responses. In that sense words are priceless and the great thing is we already have all the tools we need.

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