During college I worked in the hospitality industry. My fascination with the words staff members used with customers and their reactions continues today. I love understanding why different words impact the customer relationship.
The other day I was in a restaurant. What do you expect the waiter to say when you appear to be done with dinner? "Can I get that out of your way?" "You all done with that?" Well, now that you put it that way...um, yeah, get that out of my way. But, this waiter asked me, "Are you done enjoying your dinner, sir?" Holy cow. I love it...done enjoying your dinner. Doesn't that turn an otherwise "negative" statement into a more positive one?
Or, how about this. What is your reaction when you need to sign a contract and the other party says, "I need you to sign the contract." I don't know about you, but I rarely get warm and fuzzy when asked this way. But, how would you feel if I asked you, "Can you authorize the agreement?" Hmmm. Now, that sounds a little less painful to sign a contract, right?
How often do you think about your word choice? Next time you're writing that email, on a sales call, talking with your boss see if you can "upgrade" a phrase that's common and sometimes less sincere-sounding. You'll be surprised by people's reactions.
What phrases do you "upgrade"?
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