Have you ever been in a bad relationship?

• Well, Duh. Who hasn’t, right?
• Maybe you swore off relationships altogether
• Although I bet that didn’t last

Now, think about your relationships with words. Don’t think you have one? Sure you do.

Your words relationship makes or breaks those other relationships – the personal and professional ones.

Don’t worry. I won’t ask you to stretch out on the personal relationship counseling couch. I’d be more likely to share it with you.

I’ll stick to the business side of your words relationship.

3 Signs You May Be in a Bad Words Relationship

The phrase “bad words” does not refer to those that earned you a soapy mouth-washing from your mom. Although I wouldn’t recommend an overdose of those in either your personal or professional relationships.

A bad words relationship is sneaky – just like a bad personal relationship.

• You think things are going great
• Everyone seems happy
• Then – WHAM – things turn ugly

What worked before, isn’t working anymore. Maybe if you had seen it coming, you could have done something to save the relationship.

The video below offers you 3 signs that may alert you to trouble. See if you recognize any of them.

What Creates a Bad Words Relationship?

Words are powerful. String together the right set of words and you can change the world. Or at least your little corner of it. Think about the impact of words during our current pandemic crisis. How’s that for powerful?

Words can trip you up, leaving you tongue-tied or desperately searching for the right words.

• The wrong words confuse, offend, or bore your audience
• That can be deadly to a business
• Or more importantly, tragic for the victims of COVID-19

Let’s review how bad business communication starts.

 

Keep it Simple, Clear, and Uniquely Yours

Keep it Simple

Business communication always comes back to simple.

• Simple words instead of complex
• Erased jargon and unexplained terms
• Content with the bloat sucked out

Complicated content will lose an audience faster than the U.S. Congress can stall a bill. Share on X

Don’t lose your message in the delivery. Images, videos, and other tools are great when they work. But, the tools must connect to your message or they become a kaleidoscope of distracting noise.

Keep it Clear

If you keep it simple, you’ve taken a huge step in keeping your business words clear.  The mixed messages and questionable conclusions about the Cornavirus are a frightening example of unclear messaging.

I love the COVID-19 Plain Language cheat sheet Aha Media put together. Boy, do we need clarity surrounding that subject.

Stay focused on your message.

• Could others express your point?
• Do your facts support your message?
• Will your audience be able to relate to your message?

Keep it Uniquely Yours

You want to make your words relationship a good experience for your audience. They have to care about what you say, how you say it, and what it means to them.

Think about your own experience with other business communication.

• Have you heard it all before?
• Does someone else offer a better option?
• What makes their approach different?

Now, apply those answers to your communication. What’s different about you?

Believe in your business. It shows.

Changing Your Word Relationship

Like any relationship, the partnership with the words you use take time and effort. But the more you work at it, the easier it becomes.

• How is your business words relationship?
• Are you taking it for granted?
• What blunders have you stumbled upon?
  

Share your experience in Comments.

BigStock Photo Credit

Canva credit

This is an update to a post published on May 18, 2017. In the interest of not taking our words relationship for granted, I updated the content on April 9, 2020.

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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours

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