Getting Your Message Across

The language we use not only reflects reality, it also influences it. Here are some tips for how to make sure your language is getting you the results you want.

"One of the most potent barriers to creativity is language," says Ralph Ardill, strategic planning director at Imagination, in a recent article in Creative Review. Ardill believes that currently we talk mostly in the images of physics: push, pull, stress, strain, momentum.

However, we are in the midst of a change which finds increasing use of the terminology of biology: growth, mutation, adaptation, evolution. This may accompany a shift to more feminine thinking, with an emphasis on symbiosis rather than conflict and conquest.

The question is, which is the chicken and which is the egg? In other words, does a shift in language merely reflect a change in thinking, or can it actually lead that change? Perhaps the two operate at more or less the same time, influencing each other and escalating the change. Although political correctness in many instances has gone too far, it's quite possible that substituting "physically challenged" for "disabled," for example, creates a climate in which the people with that label will be treated with more respect and will have a greater degree of self-esteem. That, in turn, may create a climate in which such people are able to achieve more.

Let's look at a couple of examples of personal and business language use. The person whose vocabulary is full of terms like urgent, overstretched, crisis, problem, deadline, threat, target, must, should, always, and never, is reflecting (and possibly creating) an environment in which things are perceived as black or white and as sources of tension.

The person who uses terms such as important, challenged, opportunity, turning point, time frame, possibilities, evolution, adaptation, strategies, could, usually and seldom represents a world-view with multiple viewpoints and greater flexibility.

It's worth considering how the language you use personally and in presentations may be influencing your behavior and other people's perceptions of you:

• Become aware of the metaphorical language you  employ. Take a look at the letters and memos you  write, or tape a few of your conversations and presentations. What metaphors and similes do you find?

• Evaluate the impact of your language.  What do you suggest about your world view?

• Assess whether this is the worldview you want to present.

• If not, Come up with a list of words that are more open, flexible, and creative.

• Try using the replacement words for a period of time (ideally, at least 21 days).

• Assess the impact of your new approach to language.  You may find it has brought about positive changes in your behavior and the performance of the people around you.

**   If you would like to share tips about how to make sizzling presentations or how to be a more powerful communicator, please feel free to email to Jurgen Wolff at the info@brainstormnet.com.