Communicating For Influence: 3 Simple Word Changes That Can Help Improve Your Outcomes
Communicating for influence means understanding that words matter. A lot! Even a single word can make or break a deal, persuade or dissuade someone. Here are 3 simple word changes that can help you influence people more effectively, manage conflict and help you you get the results you need!
Video Transcript: Choose Your Words Wisely
Words matter. A lot!
Words have power.
When you’re doing a business presentation, closing a sale, having a challenging conversation with a customer, colleague, employee or your boss, the words you choose matter a lot.
Here are three examples of how changing just one word can dramatically impact the desired outcome.
#1. “Is there something else you wanted to talk about?”
A 2007 studies cited in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that when doctors ask their patient this question, “Is there anything else you wanted to address today?” only 53% of patients spoke up with additional concerns – the same percentage of patients that spoke up when the doctor didn’t ask anything of them.
But, when the doctor changed just one word, when they changed the word, “anything” to “something” so that the question became, “Is there something else you want it to address today?”, patients spoke up 90% of the time instead of 53% of the time. So, the next time you want to have a richer conversation with a client, your boss, your colleague, spouse, or heck even your teenager, try asking, “Is there something else you wanted to talk about?” or “Is there something else on your mind?”
#2. “Are you willing to try this?”
When you ask people who are reluctant to do something just using the word “willing” helps reduce their resistance to trying something new. “Would you be willing to give this a try?” or “Would you be willing to have a conversation about this?” Because of course, most people want to be seen as being willing!
#3. “Can we speak about this?”
Instead of saying, “Can we talk about this?” try saying, “Can we speak about this?”
Now, you might think, speak and talk are very interchangeable, yet researchers working with British police negotiators found there was a substantial difference between those two terms. When negotiators were talking to somebody and they use the word “talk,” they would receive a lot of resistance.
But when they said, instead, “Can we speak about this?” or “Can you come downstairs and we’ll speak about this?” there was way less resistance, so much so that sometimes the person they were negotiating with would interrupt them because they wanted to speak that badly. That simple word substitution led to a profound difference.
So, three simple examples, “something,” “willing” and “speak.”
What about you? What have you found in terms of specific word choices that have made a difference when you’re communicating, delivering a presentation, closing a sale, talking to a customer, or speaking up at a meeting? Have you found that just changing one word makes a key difference?
Let us know, put a comment in the comment box so we can all learn from your expertise, from your brilliance!
Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame business speaker and the author of 8 books, including The Jerk-Free Workplace and The Humor Advantage.
