H2O Magazine

Poor word choice a nightmare

Bob Nicoll, Author, Remember the Ice

Many corporate communication blunders happen because of poor word choice. By poor word choice, I mean the use of “(K)notty Words” — “not, don’t, can’t, won’t, wouldn’t, couldn’t, and shouldn’t”.  These are the main ones.  They lead to confusion in the articulation of important messages, and often undo the past efforts of a corporate team and are detrimental to the overall performance–from marketing to sales to customer service

Indeed, we have seen many examples of corporate communication blunders costing companies dearly in terms of severe damage to their goodwill and incur heavy financial losses. With a right word choice anyone can come out of even worst corporate debacles and survive. Words have power and, importantly,  we control that power!

Proper word choice gives power

Poor word choice is a serious obstacle to clear communication and diminishes your personal power. Imagine how much more power and confidence you would have in your life if you could consistently get your message across clearly. How empowering do you think it would be to know that your words influence and inspire, rather than confuse and annoy? I believe few people actually set out to confuse and annoy others. I believe most of us want to be clear and make sense. I believe most people just need to know how to do it.

The good news is that you already have everything you need. It is just a matter of understanding the how and why of organizing and using your words, and putting it all into practice.

‘NOT’  creates nullifying word choice

The first lesson is about the word “not”, or as I like to write it: (K)not. I present it this way as a constant reminder that the word “not” ties your message in knots. I believe the word should be eliminated from our language.

If the word “not” ever had a good use before it became the standard method for muddling information, overuse has destroyed its meaning. The word is no longer effective. We desensitized to its meaning. The word inserted so many ways and with such frequency to foster excuses and serve for laziness that we no longer think about why we use it, and most critically, we no longer hear it. It no longer registers. We no longer recognize its meaning in a sentence.

Shift in outcome through changed word choice

To demonstrate what I mean, I would like to share the story behind the title of my book. “Remember the Ice” is a perfect example of the power in clarifying your message.

In a convenience store on Northern Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona, the manager had placed a couple of signs above his cash registers. Rick’s intention was to encourage his patrons to buy more ice during the hot desert summer.

I lived across the street from this store and came to know him fairly well. One day when I stepped up to the counter to make a purchase, I glanced again at the two signs above his cash registers that read “DON’T FORGET THE ICE” and decided to ask him how his ice sales were going.

You may think this was a strange question, but I have always been intrigued by the juxtaposition of words. I am also intrigued by the outcomes of behavior and how the two are intertwined.

Rick replied that ice sales were slow; he was unable to move his inventory with any speed or consistency, and most of it just sat there. We were in Phoenix, in the desert, in the middle of summer where it was 110 degrees in the shade on a cool day.

“Can I make a suggestion?” I asked. “Do you have a couple of pieces of paper and a Magic Marker I could use?” He gave the items and I quickly made two new signs for him to place above his cash registers instead. The new signs read:

“REMEMBER THE ICE!!!”

I left with a knowing smile and purposely stayed away for about three weeks. When I did go back to the store, I spoke with Rick about his recent ice sales.

He was having difficulty keeping up with demand.

“I have had to triple my order in the last three weeks,” he said. “Sales are great.”

I smiled and explained what I had done. “If I say to you,” I began, “‘Don’t think of the color blue,’ what color do you immediately think of?”

“Why, blue of course,” he replied.

“Of course,” I grinned. “Now, if I say ‘Don’t Forget the Ice’, what will you forget?”

“Hmm … the ice!”

“Right.”

With a simple shift in word choice, Rick noticed a considerable increase in his ice sales. He shared the following with me:

“Bob, as the customers stand at the counter to check out, they look up, see the new sign – ‘Remember the Ice’ – and usually say, ‘By the way, add a couple of bags of ice as well.’ They pay for their items, pick up their ice from the freezer outside the door, and go on their way.”

I love this story. It reminds me just how powerful a shift in speech can be.

Bob, is the author/creator of Remember the Ice and Other Paradigm Shifts. Remember the Ice is an easy to learn, yet comprehensive program that teaches you:  There is Power in the Clarity of your Articulation. ™ Communication is at the core of all of your interactions and transactions.