We return with another Exec Direct, blog posts from STC Executive Director Kathryn Burton on a variety of topics, ranging from the formal to the more informal. Today she uses the example of a YouTube video to explore the power of words.
I came across a video recently that I found very powerful and moving. I wanted to share it with you, because I think it’s relevant to all of us as professional communicators:
The woman in the video makes a simple analysis of why her sign gets so much better results than the original: “I wrote the same … but different words.”
Sometimes, it’s not the message that’s the problem, but the way we express that message. The man in the video is blind, and his statement of this fact is his only pitch to passers-by. He wants their help because he is disabled. However, this alone is not enough to convince people to toss change into his cup. Perhaps his statement about his blindness makes others uncomfortable or comes across as merely a complaint. He is asking for something without giving something in return.
When his situation is put into context, however, the people who read his sign really contemplate and understand his need. “It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it” is the sort of statement that gives a sighted person pause and makes them realize what they take for granted. It takes them out of their normal way of thinking and into a state of mind where they’re more willing to lend a hand. They’ve been given something in exchange for the request he makes, in the form of a new perspective. Isn’t that worth some spare change?
Technical communicators are in the business of relating facts—clearly, consistently, and understandably. Technical communication requires precision and specificity, and doesn’t always leave room for subtlety and nuance.
Interpersonal communication, however, is another story. The way we talk to each other, the words we use, and the tone we adopt all make a big difference in the way we’re perceived and how effective we are at getting our message across. It’s easy to forget the power of our words and the effect they have on those around us. Careless words can damage our credibility, reduce others’ willingness to work with us toward a common goal, or create resentment and hostility.
One of my goals for STC is to continue to build up a culture of respect, where members, leaders, the staff, and the board all work together on a common vision of a unified STC that presents the best possible face of our profession to the outside world. By its nature, our work lends us to be critical, because it’s our job to refine ideas and duke it out over details. As our conversations spill over from our communities into social media and website comment boxes, however, what we say in these public forums represents us as a profession to prospective members and employers, for good or for ill. By focusing on the power of our words to accomplish a positive result, we can turn each of these venues into additional opportunities to market and advance the professionalism and capabilities of our members and the profession of technical communication as a whole.
Sometimes, turning a potentially counterproductive statement into a constructive one is as simple as writing the same thing, “but different words.”