Power of words

Son, "Dad, I'm hungry."

Dad, "No you're son."

Son, "Dad, I'm serious".

Dad, "No son, you are hungry."

Son, "Dad, you are kidding."

Dad, "No son, I'm no kidding, I'm your dad."

That's on a lighter note. It's said by experts that our mind holds between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day. That's an average of 2500 – 3,300 thoughts per hour. The words we use while talking to ourselves contains respect, and sometimes guilt. Language works as an invisible mode and shapes our thinking. Words have the potential to affect our character, mood, development, and our behavior. With words, we mold our way of thinking about people around us.

The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. —Mark Twain

The choice of words has the power to create and destroy, be it trust, relationship, or your personality. Vernacular we use is very important when we are expressing ourselves in verbal or written, with your subordinates, friends or seniors. Words we use speak volumes about our personality. Depending on what words we choose, we may end up projecting negativity instead of positivity. One word can change a situation.

How we describe ourselves and the world around us helps determine how we perceive risk, reward, opportunity, and obligation. I've learned to lay emphasis on choosing the right words from the organization I've worked in the past. As an evangelist of communication myself, I believe employee experience is greatly affected by day-to-day conversations. In these interactions, our choice of words fills them with hope or may even cause distress.

Napolean Hill states, “Think twice before you speak because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” 

We use loads of business jargon and some of the words have become a default vocabulary. Like, consumer - human as an economic unit. How about addressing them as people, who have hopes, fears, and needs. People laugh, vote, invest and do so much more than simply consume what we offer. Likewise harmony instead of alignment.

I'm no expert and still learning to choose my words wisely. Writing my thoughts in a journal has helped me learn new words that are more expressive. And I keep practicing these new words until they become part of my vocabulary. Reading books and articles help me immensely in making an addition to my discoveries. Hearing myself out while I talk is another tactic, that I use to maintain my pace and thoughtfully choose the appropriate words. My purpose is not to add jargon but to be able to express the genuine person that I am.

What steps do you take to choose words wisely? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.