If You Don’t Want People to Think It, Do Not Say It

When it comes to communicating like a pro, you have more power than you may think. If you do not want people to draw certain conclusions, be mindful of what you say. Here’s why:

The mind is powerful. It picks up on subtle and not so subtle cues. That is why being strategic when it comes to messaging is so important. If you do not want your audience to think, ruminate, or stress over a particular matter, do not introduce the concept to them.  

You Tell People What to Focus On

As soon as you utter a word or phrase, you trigger in the mind of the listener or audience what they, in fact, should focus on. As soon as you say, this is not about “this or that,” that is exactly where the mind goes. While you may attempt to move the conversation forward, the listener is stuck on what you just told them not to think about. I understand why this happens. People are naturally drawn to what you tell them to avoid.

It’s quite simple actually. If you tell children not to do one thing or another, that is exactly what they’ll want to do. If you tell an adult not to engage in one behavior or another, many will question the advice. This is human nature.

Understand the Power of Your Words

For these reasons, it is important that you not introduce concepts that may take the audience to a place you do not want them to go. Don’t want your audience to assume that you are having a problem. Do not say, this issue is not a problem. In fact, understand the pitfalls of words before you use them.

Understand What Matters

Communicate around what truly matters. If it is appropriate to offer context, do so but remember, people often need far less information that we may be inclined to give. For instance, when we get defensive, it is easy to talk and talk as a means of filling the void or in an attempt to explain our actions And, if you re accustomed to over-explaining, you may fall into that habit, introducing topics that muddy the water rather than furthering your argument.

 

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer,^® is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.