“I came, I saw, I conquered.” “There is nothing more constant than change.” “To be or not to be.” “I have a dream.” “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “Let’s build a welfare state”…
Sound familiar? I think so – and that is no coincidence. These phrases were not simply empty words or examples of impressive political rhetoric. Quite the opposite: these speeches persuaded, influenced, and inspired people to act. But how does a fragment of history become part of our present? How do seemingly simple words become powerful phrases that are impossible to forget?
The answer is simple: rhetoric. Rhetoric, or eloquence, is the energy of a speaker’s intellect, spirit, and emotions, used to persuade an audience. As the art of persuasion, rhetoric has three aims: to influence the minds, wills, and emotions of listeners. From these three aims come three interconnected functions of rhetoric: it affects the mind, the will, and the emotions. Based on this, Plato said:
“Rhetoric is the art of governing the mind and emotions.”
Rhetoric surrounds us. It is everywhere: on television, social media, in the press…
But how much rhetoric is present in our sales messages? How often do we stop to think about it? How much thought do we give to the words and phrases we use when we speak? How much attention do we pay to consciously choosing our words and speaking consciously? Speaking in a way that is fundamentally different from the everyday, unconscious way of communicating to which we have become accustomed.
Language is an instrument of human consciousness. And for this reason, words have extraordinary power.
Business is a dialogue made up of words. Our words trigger reactions, and reactions create emotions. Emotions are our life.
Experts claim that 90% of the decisions we make are driven by emotions. In other words, we act impulsively and then try to rationalise our decisions. The words we say to a client will be associated not only with us personally, but also with our product or service and our company. In business, as in life, what matters most is how people feel when they are with us.
Business is a dialogue in which words carry tremendous power. And especially now, during a pandemic, when people’s sensitivity is heightened to the extreme, every word we say seems to take on almost magical power (and magic can be both white and black). A person can change their behaviour, but once a word has been spoken, it can never be taken back.
Just a few words can change a person’s life: they can shake up limiting beliefs and help someone see a whole range of alternatives or possible choices. The right words at the right time can lead to significant positive results. Unfortunately, the wrong words, spoken at the wrong time, can also cause considerable harm, hurt people, and severely limit our possibilities.
A word is energy. Negative words are negative energy – they are a form of energetic pollution released into our environment, causing an ecological catastrophe (because a word is matter: everything we say eventually comes to pass. Not so long ago, so many people were talking about the crazy pace of life, the desire to slow down, and so on. And now, here we are).
Of course, there are also words with an entirely different energy – “words that sell,” words that create positive emotions.Meaninglessness, Failure, Hatred, Frightened, Danger, Problem, Lonely, Vulnerable, Stress, Mistake, Destructive, Stupid…
Confidence, Guarantee, Safe, Authentic, Collaboration, Savings, Now, Amazing, Simple, Easy, Unconventional, Advantage, Exclusive, Best, New, Imagine…
When you listen to others, hear the words they speak, and observe the consequences, you begin to understand that the phrase “…and the Word became flesh…” describes something very concrete and real: an action and a result initiated by words.
So, before preparing for an upcoming sales meeting with a client, let us ask ourselves:
The words we use are one of the cheapest, yet most effective and potentially profitable tools available to us. They are always right there beside us – and they are something we can control.
And finally, here is a wonderful example of conscious speaking and choosing our words, attributed to Socrates.
The Three Sieve Test
One day, a man came to Socrates and said:
Do you know what your friend said about you?
Wait, — Socrates stopped him. — Before you tell me, let us pass what you want to say through three sieves.
Three sieves?
Yes. Before saying anything, we should pass it through three sieves. The first is the sieve of truth. Are you certain that what you are about to tell me is true?
No, I only heard someone saying it.
So you do not know whether it is true or not. Then let us pass it through the second sieve – the sieve of goodness. Do you want to tell me something good about my friend?
No, quite the opposite.
So, — Socrates continued, — you intend to tell me something bad about him, even though you do not know whether it is true. Let us try the third sieve – the sieve of usefulness. Is it really necessary for me to hear what you want to tell me?
No, it is not necessary.
Then, — Socrates concluded, — what you wanted to tell me contains neither truth, nor goodness, nor usefulness. Why say it at all?
So, what words do we speak to one another? With the words we speak, do we “kill” or do we “heal”?
