MAR 26, 2013 @ 11:03 AM 

Words And Phrases That Inspire, Motivate, And Persuade At Work

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

―Rudyard Kipling

Words are powerful. They have the ability to inspire, motivate, and persuade; or discourage, dismiss, and dissuade. “With your words, you wield the power to plant seeds of either success or failure in the mind of another, and in the process you reveal who you are, how you think, and what you believe,” says Darlene Price, author of Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results. “Whether it’s inspiring a nation, launching a product, building a team, or mending a relationship, the right words spoken at the right time can change history.”

It’s important in business to choose your words wisely because they expose the number one ingredient to success: attitude. “In the workplace, a positive collaborative mind-set can mean the difference between landing a job or losing out; winning a customer or wasting an opportunity; developing teamwork or destroying trust,” Price says. “Actions may speak louder than words, but words and thoughts are the seeds of those actions. Words announce to the world how you feel and what you think about important workplace values like respect, commitment, accountability, gratitude, initiative, service, and excellence.”

There are certain day-to-day words and phrases that can help you win friends and create rapport in the office; make a persuasive presentation; or conduct a powerful conversation. “Here again, words are your allies,” she says.

“According to research, some of the most persuasive words also happen to be the shortest and oldest,” Price explains. “Look at any advertisement, and you’re likely to see one or more of these words.”

• Affordable
• Best
• Discover
• Easy
• Enjoy
• Fast
• Free
• Guarantee
• More
• New
• Power
• Reduce
• Results
• Safe
• Save
• Time

“These words help your customers visualize how good they’ll feel and what they’ll gain when they own your product or use your service,” Price says. “Deliberating crafting these words to communicate value transforms them into power phrases, which actually trigger buying behavior.  For example: ‘It’s affordable, while giving you all the power, performance, and speed you need.’ ‘Best of all, you’ll save time, save money, and get immediate results.’ Or, ‘It’s fast, easy, and convenient. Plus it reduces your cost.’”

Additional tips for motivating, inspiring, and persuading others at work:

Say the word ‘you’ more than ‘I.’ “When attempting to influence another’s thinking, the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ are among the most persuasive words because they refer directly to the listener,” Price explains. “Conversely, the self-centric pronouns which refer directly to the speaker are not as convincing: ‘I,’ ‘Me,’ ‘My,’ and ‘Mine,’ or ‘We,’ ‘Us,’ and ‘Our,’ which refer to the speaker’s group or company.”

The frequent use of the word “you” answers the audience’s unspoken question: “What’s in it for me?” “The point is, whether it’s a formal presentation or a casual conversation, avoid speaking from your perspective the whole time; choose words that directly address and include your listeners.”

Use names. “The most important word in any language is one’s own name,” Price says. “Your name carries a potent amount of emotion. When you make the effort to learn, remember and use another person’s name appropriately, you not only convey to that person that he or she is important to you, you instill self-worth within them.” In turn, they are likely to view you as a thoughtful caring person who listens well and pays attention to important details.

Practice the three As: Appreciate, Acknowledge, Ask. Simple words that show a person they are valued generate positive emotions and create job satisfaction, Price says. “Taking the time to sincerely say to another, ‘Thank you, I really appreciate your efforts,’ or ‘We couldn’t have done it without you!’ can really boost morale.”

Equally important to appreciating and acknowledging others is asking for their input. “The single most frequent cause of workplace negativity is when an employer makes decisions that affect their employees without first asking for their input,” Price says. “Words or phrases which only take seconds to say can help create job satisfaction and a sense of well-being in another.”

Use positive words and phrases.

If a co-worker asks for help on a project, don’t say, “That’s not my job.” “That may be true, but it’s certainly not helpful,” Price says. Instead, try something like: “I can see you’re swamped. How can I help?”

If the request is too large, you may respectfully decline or place appropriate limits on your offer. “At least, your words—your verbal attitude–convey empathy, understanding and support,” she adds.

Convince with cause-and-effect phrases. In persuasive or argumentative speaking, we try to convince others to agree with our facts, believe our claim, share our values, accept our conclusions, buy our product, or adopt our way of thinking, Price says. “One proven approach to convince your audience is cause-and-effect reasoning. It’s a method that helps your listeners see why things have happened or will happen as they do. It shows the inevitable linkage between what happens first and what happens next as a result. Cause-and-effect words make your claims sound objective and rational rather than biased and subjective.” Words to help craft cause-and-effect reasoning include:

• Accordingly
• As a result
• Because
• Caused by
• Consequently
• Due to
• For this reason
• Since
• Therefore
• Thus

“Words matter,” Price concludes. “If Rudyard Kipling was right, wordsare the most powerful drug used by humanity. Whether we use that drug to heal or harm lies in the power of the tongue.”

Ref.: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/03/26/words-and-phrases-that-inspire-motivate-and-persuade-at-work/#3ce773802996