Auqeo! Blog--Verbal Enchantment

Words have power.  What you say and how you say it can make your audience laugh, get angry or react with surprise.  Once you know how to harness that power and use it to your advantage, you're on your way to great things.  Read on for inspiration:

Words have power. The vocabulary choices we make each day instantly alert the people with whom we interact about our background. Did he say “ambled” instead of “ran?” He must spend a lot of downtime perusing the thesaurus. Conversely, this doesn’t mean that those who aren't well-spoken are not college graduates or avid readers. Some individuals are more comfortable in a written context, as talking with others can be difficult for the shy and easily tongue-tied. A million years ago, in summer school at the tender age of eight, my friend Veronica was one of the quiet ones. When her turn came to read aloud, she spoke barely above a whisper and kept mispronouncing a man’s last name, too afraid to ask how to say it correctly. The teacher assumed she was a slow learner, and put her in the remedial reading group! Little did Mrs. Wiggins know that she was just the opposite. With a gentle tug on the sleeve and a few choice words, Veronica was placed in the advanced reading group once again.

Persuasion. It’s one of the most influential business tools a company must use to flourish and survive. Convince Joe Schmo to use your services instead of ABC Cleaners down the road, and you’ve scored. While doing some Internet research one afternoon, I came across a list of the five most persuasive words in the English language: You, free, because, instantly and new. Everyone likes to talk about themselves and who doesn’t like something for nothing? “Because” answers a question and “instantly” fulfills our innate need for immediate gratification. Bringing up the rear, “new” is what everyone wants--new car, new house, new clothes, etc. It’s easy to see why this quintet wields such influence over our actions.

The next time you want to sway someone to your viewpoint, try using one or all of these words when you make your case, and see what happens.

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