The words we choose have the power to create impact, connections, and action. Let’s create a productive language palette.
Just like an artist has a color palette with so many choices, our words can create color, texture, depth and memorable experiences for our receiver when we choose a productive language palette.
Create impact: In the famous speech Acres of Diamonds, delivered over 5,000 times by Russell Herman Conwell, a great orator and founder and president of Temple University in Philadelphia, he shares the resources to achieve all things are present in our community – they are all around us. One of my favorite lines from the speech is ‘greatness consists not in the holding of some future office, but really consists in doing great deeds with little means and the accomplishment of vast purposes from the private ranks of life. To be great at all, one must be great here, now. If you wish to be great at all, you must begin where you are, now.’ You can be great and have impact and one of the most powerful places to begin is with your words.
Choose positive language, look people in the eye and listen to their responses. Every conversation would be more productive if we did this. Make the choice to be great. Make people feel great.
Create connections: Words cost us nothing and mean everything. Before you speak, think about the words and impact they will make on the person you are with. Take the opportunity to connect and show care and compassion instead of trying to quickly share your response, give direction and move on to the next topic. Make great connections. Make people feel connected.
Create action: Choose action-oriented words when you speak. Eliminate urgency, no one pays attention to words like urgent, ASAP, close of business. These are old phrases that don’t make you sound like a relevant and current leader. Remove them. Replace ASAP and close of business by ‘talking time’, provide a specific time and date i.e. by 4 pm EST. People are busy and overwhelmed; help them prioritize to deliver what you need by being specific.
Stop ‘shoulding’ on people! The word ‘should’ implies someone else’s expectation. You can ‘invite’ people to ‘consider’ options, opportunities, considerations … don’t should them!
Make action words part of your language palette. Make action easy for others.
Every day choose words that allow others to feel valuable, to be seen and to be heard. Create conversations that are positive and make people feel like they matter because they spoke with you. We don’t have time to do everything, we only have time to do what matters.
If you have never watched the powerful video Change your words, change your world, click here (it is worth 1 minute and 47 seconds of your time).
How do you make more impact in your conversations? Share your ideas with us here on our blog.
PS. If you want more ideas on how to increase your productivity and even more about how to create a productive language palette, check out our latest book called Folding Time: Achieve Twice As Much in Half the Time– check out other blogs here and several eBooks you can share with your team.
