Christine Comaford asks this clichéd question. Why do people struggle in relationships and with their communication skills?
The fundamental reason she states is because they do not use the right words. May be those words could be right for us but not to the other person hearing it. She postulates that Language sets the tone for respect, kindness etc… and also helps us understand what another person is experiencing and interact with them accordingly.
Here are the words that can make a difference according to her:
• The 1 most important word: “We”
• The 2 most important words: “Thank you.”
• The 3 most important words: “If you please.”
• The 4 most important words: “What is your opinion?”
• The 5 most important words: “You did a great job!”
• The 6 most important words: “I admit I made a mistake.”
One of her favourite that she states is “together”. It’s a powerful word that helps the recipient know they are safe, they belong, and they matter.
“We’ll figure this out together.”
“Together our team will innovate like never before.”
“We can crush the competition together.”
Overall Christine concludes that when you start to notice the power of words you start to speak differently. Because you now know that language can either boost confidence or bash it, align/enrol/engage teams or tear them apart, create utter devotion and loyalty or cause people to run screaming.
Are you ready to tune your communication skills? What ideas are you going to implement?
