The Power of Words

I attended a conference recently and had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Doreen Virtue speak. She spoke of the energetic power of the words. Because words are essentially sound waves they do have mass and do have an effect on us.

The most important lesson I took away is that our positive words are so much more powerful to influence our relationships, customer service, team environment, and work culture.

In a service situation the language that we use can have a strong effect on how the customer perceives our service. And, the words we use with our co-workers can have a strong effect on how our team operates together.

Numerous studies have shown how the words we speak to ourselves have an impact on the way we feel and act. Words are a powerful force and the powerful effects of negative words cannot be underestimated. Because we are constantly giving messages to ourselves and others, it is more vital than ever to ensure that those words you hear in your mind and speak to others are as positive as possible.

I invite you to put it to the test for just one week. Try to be consciously aware of the way you speak and see where you could choose words that are more positive. I believe that you will be pleased by the results.

Here is a list of 10 positive words and phrases that you may want to try.

1.    Yes
2.    I understand
3.    What I can do is …
4.    How can I help?
5.    I’m sorry for …
6.    I would suggest/recommend …
7.    What I like about what you said is …
8.    That’s interesting
9.    Tell me more
10.  What a great opportunity

Yours truly, Georgine

Choice

Lately, for reasons I can’t really explain, I’ve been thinking about our “choices” in terms of how we choose to respond when presented with a situation that we don’t relish.  You know what I mean . . . when change is thrust upon us in the workplace, or when a colleague’s reaction is less than professional, or when we’re asked to work on a project that is as inspiring as dry toast.  The choice of how to respond comes up quite often when we work with clients to help with a change management initiative.  Sometimes, people choose to view change as a nuisance, rather than as an opportunity.  I get that . . . I’m guilty of it sometimes myself.  And, what I notice is that when I choose to respond as though something is a nuisance, my experience is always lousy.  I don’t know about you, but I really like it when my experiences are anything but lousy.  So, I’m practicing choosing to find the opportunity in things.

It’s not always easy to look for the opportunity.  It takes discipline.  But, it matters.  If you’re a leader, it really matters that your response to change or challenging circumstances is constructive because your team watches everything you do and you set the tone for how they’ll respond.  So, before you respond, ask yourself these questions to help you find the opportunity in the circumstance you face:

·    What can you learn?
·    How can performance or outcomes improve?
·    What old or outdated practices or policies can be replaced or improved upon?
·    How does the situation play to your strengths or the strengths of your team?
·    Where might there be some fun or adventure in it for you?

When I ask these questions of myself, I’m more curious, and as a result, more open-minded.  And, when I’m open-minded, I tend to respond to things with a little more enthusiasm, interest, and wonder.  So, I’m choosing to practice to find the opportunity in things.  How about you join me and we’ll see what we discover?

Lynae