“Simply give others a bit of yourself; a thoughtful act, a helpful idea, a word of appreciation, a lift over a rough spot, a sense of understanding, or a timely suggestion. You take something out of your mind, garnished in kindness out of your heart, and put it into the other person’s mind and heart.” Charles H. Burr
Words, words, words. Written words, spoken words, signed words. If we are going to be really successful in this world, no matter what you do, you need to be able to use words to create the results you are seeking. Unfortunately the vast majority of people do not understand the power of words. We think that we are just speaking, but words create or destroy. They create or destroy people.
A UCLA study of one-year-olds found that the child hears the word ‘no’ more than 400 times per day. So by the time a child is four, he’s been told ‘no’ more than half a million times. The bottom line is that toddlers from all cultures and across all time lines learn what to do by constantly being told what not to do. This conditioning carries on when we get to school – don’t talk in class, don’t color outside the lines, don’t run in the hallways, don’t give a wrong answer, don’t …
From this study we see that words are being used to control people. However, it is also true that a child’s creativity, desire to examine, and curiosity begin to die after being told to conform so many times.
Let’s turn our attention to the creative power of words. It really doesn’t matter whether you are doing a live presentation on stage, or you are talking to people on the telephone or one-to-one personally. There are two very important aspects to consider when opening our mouths to speak.
The first is our message. We need to know what we are talking about. We have to be knowledgeable about the topic. This is the heart of the talk. If you do not speak with some understanding and authority you might as well stay in your seat. You will not be able to help anyone. You do not have to be the ‘expert’ but you do have to be convinced that the subject is worthwhile to those you are speaking to.
What do you want to communicate to the people? Will what you are offering help others improve their work or personal lives? Could what you are speaking about or even selling be the solution to their problems? Will this help them achieve their goals in life? Will this meet their dreams?
The second is our signature. Our signature is defined as “any unique, distinguishing aspect, feature, or mark.” This is where you let your personality come through in the presentation. This is when the presentation comes alive.
Your signature includes your body language – your posture, eye contact, facial expressions and other body movements before and during the presentation. Eye contact is important. I have had to sit through presentations with the person doing the talking and he is looking at the ceiling. If he isn’t going to talk to me then he might as well sit down and mail me the information to read. He might actually have something that I’m interested in but if he isn’t looking at the audience then I’m not listening.
This also carries to the phone conversations. Even though we can’t see each other we can tell if the person on the other end is smiling. We can tell if they really want to be on the call. For those of us who use the phone to present our business opportunity this is a very important thing to understand. Our voice – the pitch, inflections, the tone – all convey our attitude. If you are just there to make a sale they will know it. If you are there because you think this opportunity will be of benefit to them then they will listen.
What are your words saying? Be careful because you are creating or destroying by what comes out of your mouth. You are not only creating or destroying their future but your own as well.
James Heller
Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=209015&ca=Self
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