Even as language evolves, there’s a significant need for leaders to adhere to English’s core principles in writing and speaking.
I am appalled at the deterioration of the written and spoken word in America.
No matter which medium I peruse — newspapers, magazines, books, radio, television or email — I find instances of egregious spelling and grammar. If you believe I’m exaggerating, read the newspaper. Journalists whose profession is founded on words often put together convoluted sentences that require two or three passes to decipher their intended message.
Look at today’s paper. I’ll bet you can find a sentence similar to the one that occurred in our local newspaper: “Last night a man was shot in Los Altos.” Where in his body is his los altos?
My intention is not to be a snob, but rather to elicit attention and, hopefully, action. Our children already have the burden of squinting at truncated electronic drivel. We owe it to them to provide examples of how their native language should be delivered.
Let me offer a few cases. First, try the word forte. It has two meanings and three possible pronunciations. Here’s something easier. Do you know when to use farther or further? How about complimentary and complementary? Is a complement complimentary, or is a compliment complementary?
Then there is redundancy, close proximity, “continue on” and past experience. Possibly the worst abomination is the use of the word “get.” Let’s get rid of “get my meaning” and replace it with “understand my meaning.”
Finally, there are just too many cases when someone uses the wrong word or words out of context in a sentence that is exceedingly long. Keep it short and simple.
The other side of the issue is speaking. Public speaking is No. 1 on many people’s list of fears. Over the course of my career, I’ve spoken to more than 90,000 people in 46 countries. In the beginning I, too, was fearful of my ability and the audience’s receptivity to my message.
I learned that most people wanted me to be successful. I just needed to improve my speaking skills.
The principles of effective speech are simple. They are credibility, logic and emotion. We can thank Aristotle for this. He called it ethos, logos and pathos.
When I started, I had no credibility so I relied on logic. That was a mistake. I forgot about emotion. Over time, I learned that the best way to move an audience is to start with a story to which they can relate.
By using shared experiences in human resources — good and bad — I built credibility. They accepted that I was one of them. Then I could turn to data and logic to drive home the evidence behind my argument.
Someone said that stories are just data with a soul. I started my first novel, “Rough Waters,” with a story of what happened to a 7-year-old boy on his last day of school in second grade. Everyone has painful episodes from their school years so they can relate to this little boy’s trauma. The reader now will want to read on to learn how the boy coped with that and the effect it had on his life. Aren’t you curious, too?
This reliance on emotion is why I often share my experience in talent management when writing this column. I need to connect emotionally before I can apply the logic underpinning my position.
Whether you liked him or not, you have to admit that Ronald Reagan had a successful political career. He was elected twice as president of the Screen Actors Guild, then as governor of California and finally as president of the United States.
The secret to his success, I would argue, was his ability to communicate through stories and emotional rhetoric. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall.”
Ultimately, business leaders have to entertain as well as educate when writing or speaking. Using the right word in the right context delivered with conviction and passion is the pathway to success.
-Courtesy : Jac Fitz-enz
Founder and CEO of the Human Capital Source and Workforce Intelligence Institute
Leave a Comment