Communication Skills Tip: Power of the Word

Frederick Douglass, known as a civil rights leader in the 1800's, understood first hand what it meant to live with and without words. Being amongst the illiterate slaves of his time, he learned that knowing how to read would be his ticket to freedom. Although he did not escape the brutality of slavery, he did become a free man who took every opportunity in his life to use words, both written and spoken, to communicate the rights of every human being to liberation and justice. He claims that his speeches and writings lead him to "discover that the power of the word is the best means to bring about permanent positive changes, both for myself and others." After I read a brief article about Douglass in August 2009's issue of Success Magazine, I felt fortunate--lucky enough to have education and opportunity at my finger tips; grateful that I have the luxury to think about my communication and how it affects those around me. Albert Mehrabian, professor, engineer and psychologist, conducted a study in 1968 stating how valuable our non-verbal communication is in our interpersonal relationships. However, he understands that the words we choose and the way we construct our messages are an integral components of our success as communicators (Listen to Mehrabian clarify his often mis-understood 1968 study about 93% of communication being non-verbal.) Let's take time to prepare our important communiques. Let's add sign posts to our presentations to inform our listeners where we are taking them. Let's use powerful and precise words to import our knowledge and show our compassion for others and situations. We have the freedom. Let's not abuse it by undermining our communication capacities. Let's not have modern technology solely inform how we get our messages across. Slow down, consider your opinions thoughtfully and engage in the "power of the word." To be added to Lanartco's Communication Performance Tip of the Week, please connect to this link or send your email address to info@lanartco.com.