Sunday, December 14, 2008

Gyaan: The less we speak, the better

It has come to my notice – albeit a little late – that the less we speak, the better we are perceived to be. My mom has always been saying it…but since she could never give me an example, I didn’t trust her. Today, I have an example.
I can.
The above sentence is powerful and is loaded with meaning. If I said that to my boss, he is bound to give me a double promotion and an Exceeds Expectations ranking.
I can deliver
The above sentence dilutes the power that I feel when I say “I can.” By adding ‘deliver’ I am adding a filter and the listener tends to think that I can only ‘deliver’. Whatever ‘deliver’ means.
I can deliver pizza
Now, the power has been further diluted by two filters - ‘deliver’ and ‘pizza’. “I can deliver” was definitely more powerful than “I can deliver pizza.”
I can deliver pizza for money