Most of us don’t pay too much attention to the little pronouns and conjunctions we use. However, it’s these small connective words that hold the most information about our state of mind. The next time you listen to somebody speak, pay closer attention to the smaller words they use. With these six tips, you’ll be well on your way to deciphering their true intentions.
1. They Can Indicate How Your Workers Feel About Your Company
Want to know how invested your employees really are in the future of your company? Pay attention to the way they refer to it. Surveys have discovered that employees who use the phrase ‘our company’ or ‘this company’ had the most positive feelings about the organization they worked in. They were motivated to do their best at work and felt confident about their talents being recognized. However, workers who referred to the company as ‘that company’ or to their colleagues and bosses as ‘they’ had the lowest levels of satisfaction. Their choice of words indicate that they don’t view themselves as a part of this company. They have no motivation to do their best and often see it as a temporary job.
2. They Can Influence How Others See Your Company
If you want the public to view your company as successful, then it might be wise to refrain from using personal and possessive pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘my’ when talking about it. It might sound strange, but word analyses have revealed that the more powerful a person is, the less likely they are to use the word ‘I’. On the other hand, words like ‘we’ create a visual image of a strong, united organisation, one that shareholders are more likely to invest in.
3. They Can Reveal If Someone’s Lying
Even the most prolific liars have certain speech patterns that make it easy to spot them. Like powerful people, liars also avoid using the word ‘I’, but for different reasons. In an effort to distance themselves from the lie, they are more likely to use third person pronouns. Liars also use more words when they’re lying to distract you from the truth. They tend to use sense-related words like descriptions about smells and visual images in an attempt to make their lie appear more credible.
4. They Can Reveal The Truth About A Relationship
It may sound annoying when your couple friends do it, but couples who refer to themselves as ‘we’ tend to have happier relationships. Using the word ‘we’ indicates that the couple view themselves as a team and often do things together. Couples who use the word ‘you’ a lot when speaking to each other usually have more fights and point blame to the other one.
5. They Can Determine How Persuasive You Are
This might come as a bit of a surprise, but arguments that either start or end with an obscenity are more likely to convince the listener of their point. Researchers are not entirely sure why this is, but this could be that obscenities indicate greater conviction on the part of the debater. When the audience feels that the person truly believes in their point of view, they’re more likely to agree with them. Using obscenities had absolutely no effect in the audience’s perception of the speaker’s professionalism.
6. …But They Can’t Reveal Everything
Your words do provide a valuable window into your soul, but they’re not nearly half as effective as your body language. A psychology professor from UCLA in 1971 proposed the 7-38-55 rule which is still in use to this day. The 7-38-55 rule says that only 7% of what you convey can be understood by the words you use, while your tone conveys 38% and your body language reveals an astonishing 55%. So if you want to truly read a person, you can’t depend on his choice of words alone.
