Monday, December 7, 2009

The Danger of Framed Language

In stand up comedy there is a technique called a segway - a phrase to transition from one topic to another. Segways are a huge part of personal and professional interaction as well. Segways in professional conversation are an art form and those who execute them well have the ability to provoke immediate trust through capability display. This is certainly a difficult skill set to master but my challenge to the readers of this blog is to eliminate framed language.

New Year's Resolution: Eliminate the following phrases from your Personal and Professional conversation:
* ...It is what it is
* At the end of the day...
*...throw him/her under the bus
* But...

When you throw pre-supposed, under thought, catch phrases into your conversation your audience immediately glazes over. The aforementioned phrases prevent the maximum impact of your message. Be authentic, be relevant, use language that is pertinent to each phrase in which you are living.

It is commonplace for us to frame an insult with a back handed compliment:
"That is was a really great point, but...."
- You just crushed all positive intent in your statement

Try: "That is a great point and it might further benefit you to...."

I struggle every day with these principles of conversation. I pause for 15 seconds at time trying not to mutter phrases that have been embedded in my psyche for years. We know when people are pre-programmed in their language and as smooth as their message may flow too many framed segway determine one certainty: this person is full of shit!

Try to eliminate catch phrases from your conversation with your friends and significant others....use a pause if necessary. Sooner or later you will find that the pre-supposed segways you lean on do not compliment the flow of your conversation but rather distract it.

Push yourself to be more authentic in your conversation and it will serve to benefit your life approach. If we try harder in our communication, the human barriers will break down and we will open ourselves to others with Genuine Intent.

Unzip Your Soul!

- Dave


References:
http://twitter.com/davidkovacovich
www.linkedin.com/in/davidkovacovich

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