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By Paul Evans
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 humorous and still make a hard-hitting
point.
I got in at 1 a.m. last night 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.
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.
About The Author: Paul Evans is the creator of the public
speaking system Instant Speaking Success. Read more of his
articles at www.free-knowledge.com.
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