Words That Work

You can have the best message in the world, but the person on the receiving end will always understand it through the filter of their own emotions, preconceptions, prejudices, and preexisting beliefs.

• Simplicity: Use small words
• Brevity: Use short sentences
• Credibility: Be credible in every word or statement you make
• Consistency:  Iterate the same message, over and over
• Novelty: breed excitement
• Sound: the texture of your words matters
• Aspirational: people forget what you say but not how you made them feel
• Imagery: Visualize, the word “imagine” is an incredibly powerful tool
• Question: Question everything, ask questions and provide the solution
• Context:give background to why you’re here and why people should bother to listen to you – give relevance to the situation.

• Never use a metaphor, simile, or another figure of speech that you are used to seeing in print.
• Never use a long word where a short one will do.
• If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
• Never use the passive where you can use the active.
• Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
• Don’t assume that people know what you do, or are even aware of you.

The single most-read portion after the opening paragraph is the postscript. The reason is easy to understand:

• The average reader looks to the P.S. to determine whether or not it is in fact a personal letter, and whether that letter has any relevance to his or her life.
• If it isn’t, and if it doesn’t, the average person won’t read anything else.

Make the postscript as human and emotional as possible.

Words have different meanings to different people. For example, “welfare” and “assistance to the poor” essentially mean the same thing. However, if you ask the citizens whether or not we are spending too much on welfare (23%) or assistance for the poor (68%), it’s clear that these two terms hold differing connotations.

So while “welfare” brings up images of “welfare queens” and wasteful government spending, “assistance to the poor” reminds people of charity and Christian compassion.

Effective communication isn’t about the objective meaning of your words, but rather how people understand them. It’s essential to consider their preconceptions, especially their beliefs and fears.

One example is George Orwell who knew this well and used it in his book 1984. He wrote a passage that described Room 101 as a place where one confronts her greatest fears. Since everyone has different personal nightmares, Room 101 became associated with each reader’s individual nightmare.

• Consequences: What will personalize, and what will dramatize the result of your actions?
• Impact: How can you utilize this word to make your listeners feel as if there will be a measurable difference?
• Diplomacy and Dialogue: Use them to ease tension, to establish a sense of normalcy or goodwill.
• Reliability: There are many people who believe that the reliability of something is more important than any other factor.
• Mission: Your listener wants to know the how, what and why.
• Commitment: What kind of personal mission are you going to undertake? Use commitment in the terms of personal commitment.