Words Can Hurt or Heal
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me”…. when I was a child, this is what we used to say to people who were mean to us. The truth is, though, words can and do hurt.
Words hurt, heal, motivate, and aggravate.
They are powerful.
They control emotions and can even control a person physically.
A word is worth a thousand pictures.
“Come here.” Two words that move a person from there to here.
“Write this down.” Three words that cause people to put words on a page.
“Remember a time when you felt angry.” Seven words that can create an overload of emotions.
Your words are power. Think of the number of people you have made smile by saying, “I really appreciate you.” Or the number of people you have hurt by saying, “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you do anything right?”
Words possess just as much power when spoken to a crowd of a thousand as in a one on one conversation. It’s one thing to get one person excited, but impassion an entire group, and you have irresistible intensity on your side.
Use your words more effectively…
1. Understand their influence. Do not use or choose your terms lightly. A wrong word can turn an audience from friends to fiends. The better you know your group the better you can tailor your terms for their benefit.
You get to choose the outcome. Want the group to be charged, mad, excited, encouraged, content, or happy? You can produce any of those by using the right words in the right way.
2. Don’t be afraid to be edgy. Too many speakers are soft. You can be tough without being obnoxious, or insulting a group’s intelligence. You can be humorous and still make a hard-hitting point.
Imagine this – “coming in at 1 a.m. after spending two days speaking to 1,500 people. Get this – all the reviews came back at the top level, and I was tough on the folks. Several came up and said, “You’re not afraid to tell it like it is!” The words I chose challenged the group without breaking them.” This can be you!
What about your words? Do you toss them out lightly, or with precision power? Your words can change lives and influence millions. Choose and use them well.
To your speaking success
Fran Watson