Word Today . Listen
You all know the power of words.
Sometimes they startle. Other times they soothe. They turn off, or turn on, a person’s desire to hear more.
Words play a key role in making business happen. Or attracting people to a cause. How many words do we get to pick and choose from so our message matters? Guesstimates range from 250,000 to almost a million words in the ever-expanding English language.
Heck, Shakespeare alone is credited with coining about 1700 new ones in his day… including generous, gloomy and gnarled!
Language fans, see nosweatshakespeare.com
Business owners, professional speakers— and yes, even politicians on the campaign trail— can be forgiven their quest for the perfect catch-phrase, spiced with whatever compelling words they think their audience wants.
They stuff their “elevator pitch” to rattle off as many words as they can in 30 hot seconds or so. Yet even that’s still not fast enough, since the real attention span for any pitch is barely 20 seconds. In fact, broadcast media sells split-10 ad spots, and they do get scooped up.
But there’s one big word that outwits any frenetic fast-pitch every time.
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What word is short, silent, and oh so sweet? Often magnetic?
“Listen.”
It’s not a word to say, it’s what to do.
It’s what gives your communication with a client, a prospect, or an entire audience, an opening for connection, and builds a foundation for real staying power. Great stand-up comics and talented keynote speakers both learn to hear stray audience comments, then turn them into conversational gold.
Try it out today as a mantra in action.
Ask, don’t tell.
And listen attentively to what gets said to you.
What you learn by listening can make all the difference in helping you choose what to say next, adapting what you had planned to say so it flows out to meet the moment. Take the risk— even if you’re met with silence from your audience, use that to allow real life to enliven your words!
Your audience will thank you with their attention.
— Diane A. Curran
