Importance of words

I have been reading an old newsletter and came across a message I thought I’d share with you – words are important to humans.

Think about the impact of the words you choose and use.

Think about what words have done to/for our world:

• started wars
• made people cry (or worse)
• made people laugh
• started deep emotional relationships
• ended people’s lives
• made people rich
• given a lot of pleasure (doubt that? Think of your favourite book…)

Think of the impact of words on the careers of

• ACDC, Midnight Oil, Silver Chair, Michael Jackson and Cold Play – would their music be as popular without their lyrics?
• Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Kate Winslet, Cameron Dias and Bud Tingwell – how good would their movies had been without a script or with a mediocre script?
• Kevin Rudd, Barack Obama, Julia Gillard, John Howard, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi – a speechless politician wouldn’t get very far
• your favourite school teacher, sports coach and music teacher all needed words to make a career and help you

So remember the importance of words, and using the right words, when planning your business and your marketing. Don’t be fooled – the words you choose in your promotions and materials will impact on your success – or not.

Words are important so

• choose appropriate words
• proof read to be sure your spelling and grammar support your choice of words
• check how words are perceived, not just what they mean (as a drastic example, the word gay means happy and cheerful but many people perceive it differently now)
• use as few words as necessary to get the message across – think of words as important and limited

Use your words wisely!