I came across a great article in the New York Times this week highlighting the importance of using the right words when asking questions or communicating anything for that matter. The Obama administration is about to discard the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that governed the admission of a segment of the population into the US Armed Forces since the Clinton administration, and a bunch of researchers did a telephone poll where they got markedly different answers (by more than 15 percentage points!) depending on the word that was used to describe the group in question. Read about the findings of the poll in the New York Times.
Gives a new meaning to “speaking your mind” and saying whatever is on the tip of your tongue, doesn’t it? Everything you say paints a picture in the recipient’s mind, so you want to be choosing your words well: are you using colours that shine or is the stroke of your brush too rough? Do you get your message across or do people get the wrong picture?
Food for thought…
All the best!
Thomas
