Words Matter
Words Matter
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Communication, meaning, and word choice are fairly common topics of discussion in our household – inevitable, given that my wife is a lawyer and I’m a marketer. Early on in our relationship, it became clear that we were really bad at arguing, as she uses her legal training to forensically unpick sentences, and I can make words dance…so neither of us got anywhere. There was a mutual recognition that neither of us could beat the other, as we were playing by different rules. It makes for calmer and more rational communication once both parties recognise that words matter.
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I was recently reminded of a small but potent example of poor communication. Both of us read voraciously, so we frequently reserve books from the library. This involves a reservation fee. It’s a small amount, and well worth the convenience of choosing the collection point. However, it annoys me every time I pay it, because on-screen it tells me I am paying a fine. It’s not pedantic to make a distinction between a fee (for a service) and a fine (a punishment for an infraction of a rule). I mentioned this to one of the people who developed the system, asking whether it would be possible to make the distinction. Her response was ‘Why? You still have to pay it.’, completely missing my point. She could not see that words matter.
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More recently, I signed a service contract. It had two options: pay upfront in full, or pay in two instalments (one upfront and one in six weeks) – with an interest charge of 7%. This seemed a bit high as far as interest rates go (7% on the total for a six-week deferment of half the amount), so I asked about it. Turns out, the service provider is absorbing the GST for clients who pay up-front. I suggested changing the wording to reflect that. The company understood the difference in tone (punishment versus reward, and has changed the wording. They could see that words matter. ??
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Thank you for taking the time to read this. ?
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What words matter to you? Feel free to share your experiences.