Can adjectives cause problems?
If you listen carefully to conversations happening around you, you may find most of them peppered with words that describe something qualitatively either in a positive or negative sense. Seldom does one hear a dialog that is totally devoid of adjectives. Adjectives are so ubiquitous that we have come to accept them as part of life, and probably don't give them a second thought.
And possibly rightly so.
One place that comes to mind where adjectives are probably less frequent is a courtroom, where the emphasis is on facts, data and rock-solid evidence is paramount. In daily life, it is practically difficult, if not impossible to chat up with someone without using adjectives; to describe a feeling, an emotion, an experience, a personality, a situation or the quality of an outcome. Pause and reflect on this statement for a second. Isn't this the moment that has the potential to ignite a disagreement, a counter-emotion or a feeling of judgment being passed?
Lets take a hypothetical example of a seemingly harmless conversation between two individuals A and B, that may happen along the following lines:
A : I heard that you saw this new Bond movie?
B. Yes, it was lousy!
A: When did you see it?
B. Yesterday; it was a waste of time! Please don't spend your precious time and money on that horrible movie, you will deeply regret it.
A : What new stunts did the movie have to showcase?
B : Oh, the usual boring car chases, violent fist-fights, and mundane run-of-the-mill gun-battle stuff.
A : As a matter of fact, I was going to ask you to accompany me to watch it. But that I suppose is out-of-question now. Sigh!
Thus ended the conversation, with "A" feeling somewhat negative after it was over. What one can possibly notice from the above is the intensity of the value-based descriptors that colored each reply, whereas each of the questions in itself sought to elicit non-judgmental data.
Now imagine a more intense or crucial conversation where the stakes are high and in which reputations are at stake. For instance, a performance appraisal situation. Adjectives in such conversations have the power to create or destroy credibility, extol the virtues of character or malign it and even impact careers. If used without caution, they have the potential to cause damage to oneself and to relationships.
It is likely that this post will elicit responses with some adjectives, and that is fine. But I hope it provides food for thought for the next conversation that you may have and sensitize you to their camouflaged power.
But....adjectives are forever!
Program Manager at Kyndryl
9 年In a multi-national setting, adjectives have to be used to give encouragement and positive vibes to the audience. Cultural behaviour patterns should be observed positively but not described through a negative lens. In short, communication both oral and written is an art and care should be taken to not use language i.e. "adjectives" to ignite emotions but rather assuage them. The English language is equipped with a wide set of words and the best use of adjectives is normally by diplomats, lawyers, media announcers, motivational speakers/presenters and sales and marketing executives. The situational context is important on how you use them !