Many years ago, UCLA profession Albert Mehrabian did a study on communication, and found that a scant 7% of our effectiveness comes from words. The remainder comes from our tone of voice and our body language. That is nice to know, but let’s not forget the power or words.
Several months ago, I was facilitating a training session, and we were about to do some role playing. I noticed a hesitant look on one of the participant’s face, and I asked if she had a question. She replied, “No, I just don’t do role playing. I’m no good at it. It doesn’t work for me.” When I heard this, I knew I had to backtrack. She doesn’t like role-playing and that means when she hears the term “role-playing” she shuts down. Like all trainers, I want people to be engaged in the process . I said, “let me put it another way. We are going to practice the fundamentals we have just reviewed so that we increase our skill in applying them.” Saying this worked better, and I got her back on board. When I used the word “practice”, I was using a term that refers to a vital component in building any skill or increased ability. I have replaced the term “role-playing” with “practice”, and this has worked well for me.
Do you have a word that doesn’t set well with you? I think we all do. I don’t like the word “compelling”. All I need to do is tell you that, and you will probably use a substitute. Now more than any other time I can recall in my 70 years,it is important to be sensitive with our word selection. If we ruffle some feathers, find a word or phrase that lands better. This will help you keep your listeners more in there with you.
