I, ME, MY, MINE: Four Little Words Cause Big Message Impact

As Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” There are four little words with a big impact on our messages.? They are I, Me, My and Mine.

Take a few minutes to read some bios on LinkedIn or company websites.? Read a few posts or articles.? Listen to a few YouTube videos of well-known keynoters.

Now, count how many times the author or speaker uses I, Me, My and Mine.? I read a book recently by an acquaintance.? The first paragraph was about 10 lines long, probably four or five sentences.?

In that short segment, the author used I, Me, My and Mine TWELVE TIMES. These little words reveal the sender’s focus – themselves.

When you’re reading content, these four words reveal a lot about a person who overuses them.?

Posts: Promoting ourselves can be a good thing. The important thing is focus.? Does the post highlight the person posting or the results of the event? Is it a selfie or an evaluation report? Is it me me me, or does the information focus on the audience, testimonials or feedback?

For example, you delivered a lunch-n-learn. Did you share a selfie, or did you share the audience feedback and/or a snippet of useful information from the session?

Articles: Is the content helpful to the reader, or is it all about my knowledge, my expertise, my experiences?? Personal insights can be useful.? However, if there is a pattern of self-focus, then the information is more likely selfish rather than helpful.

Bios: Most standard bios are written in third person, using words like she, her, he, his. ?When people write their bios in first person, this tends to indicate self-focus.? Writing in the third person makes it easier for someone to introduce you at a function.

Introductions: Introductions are written typically in first person, using words like I, me, my and mine. They can seem self-absorbed. So, we want to demonstrate how YOU help the audience.? If you must refer to yourself, ensure what you offer is for the benefit of others.

For example, if you write cover letter (a type of introduction,) write about how your work, results and accomplishments will benefit the new organization.

If you’re really brave, read a few of your own emails. Review some of your posts. Count how many times you use I, me, my, mine.

If you’d like to send me a segment, I’d be delighted to analyze it.? We offer courses about Managing Tone, Avoiding Mixed Messages and more.? Check out our Instructional Design and Course Guide here: https://writewisecommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WW_2025_Instructional_Design_Courses_Guide.pdf