Power of words in workplace

‘Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly — they’ll go through anything.’ — Aldous Huxley

You cannot deny the fact that speech is the most powerful weapon that we humans possess. But, what’s the most important component of speech — WORDS!

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Speech is the symphony created by an orchestrated flow of words that come from our mouth, thanks to coordinated response by the stimuli that our brain receives and the signals it sends to our vocal chords.

The Power of Words

The way we speak creates a big impact on our life, at both personal and professional level. The world still remembers the words the echoed around from the speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. — I Have A Dream, one of the most powerful speeches in human history. There are countless other examples reflecting how powerful words can be.

Now let’s shift our focus from history to the present.

Are we making use of this power?

As professionals, are we making use of the power that words can bring along? I’m not sure that we are. That’s why I’m here with a few tips on how we can bring a sense of positivity at workplace by making bringing a slight change in our speaking habits and incorporating some power words in them.

Let’s take a look at what we can do -

• You can do this

The first thing a leader needs to do is to pick a team. The immediate next thing should be to motivate them to do anything and everything! This is where word ‘YOU’ comes into the picture.

When I say that ‘YOU’ is the most powerful word, there is a study from Yale that backs this claim. The word shows empathy — letting the other person know that you trust him or her to do something. You are choosing the person because of their skill, even if they don’t have the confidence at first.

After all, ‘YOU’ i.e. your team is the most important part of your business.

• I need your help to do this

The second word that I’m going to list here is HELP (and the words that reflect similar feelings like support). The job of a leader is not to give orders, but to get things done from individuals by bringing them together as a team.

Words like these help to build an emotional connect. They set the foundation for a healthy relationship in the team. While there will be people who might consider this approach as too soft, but we are dealing with real humans here and not machines, right?

Plus, no one likes a brash or bossy leader!

• This is why we are doing this

The most basic requirement to get someone to do something is to let them know why we are doing this. But the general trend in teams all around the globe is -

• The business analysts gather client requirement
• The manager receives the requirement and shares it with the team
• The team starts working like a machine on it

This is where the role of a manager becomes important. Managers must be proactive enough to guide the team what they are trying to achieve here. Every project must come with its own benchmarks for the team as well as the team members. And, this is the reason that ‘WHY’ becomes so important!

It gives everyone a sense of purpose to work, and go above and beyond the usual!

• We are in it together

You are a leader, but who are you leading? A team, right! So, you are not in it alone, nor are the people who are part of your team. Everyone is in it together. The word to emphasize on here is TOGETHER.

A leader, be it a manager a team leader, a coordinator or anyone in the decision making role, must realize this fact. Life becomes lot easier, when you know there’s someone to have your back when things don’t go your way — that’s the feeling words like ‘TOGETHER’ generate!

• Thank you

Small courtesies like ‘THANK YOU’ go a long way in building a team. These words rank right on top along with words like you in terms of their power in team building.

People love being appreciated especially when someone from the top tier shares the words of praise for their work. Saying ‘Thank You’ not only makes the employee feel valued, but at the same time it also builds a respect for the leader. So to create a team where people are valued and respect is mutual between everyone, you must start using words like Thank You more often at your workplace.

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Sandeep Kashyap is the Founder of ProofHub — a leading project management and collaboration software. A passionate leader, Sandeep is always on the lookout for innovative ideas about filling the communication gap between groups, teams and companies. He is also a featured writer on LinkedIn and a contributing author at YourStory. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Also follow our company page @ProofHub to get the recent updates about our tool, published articles, motivational quotes & presentations.

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Originally published at LinkedIn