The Power of Words

The words we choose to get our point across can be mighty in their delivery or conveyed in the simplest of form. Whether mighty or simple it’s the actions behind those words that make them effective or ineffective.

Words are meant to convey something or prompt action. Those words could be power selling, resume words, inspirational words, words that hurt, mind blowing words, healing, moral, ethical, or inspiring words, etc. When we combine lists of power words with the use of social media in the work place, who benefits the most from their usage? This is a question that a lot of organizations struggle with today. Who is going to monitor the network? How much power are we really talking about when we hook everyone up to the network? Who gets to be the word police?

When working under a global network within an organization, there is usually a standard set of keywords that are unique to that network. The more educated or experienced someone is within the network, the more words they will have available for usage; thus, potentially more power to influence others. When constructing organizational networks for global usage, there needs to be a set of checks and balances for guiding operational use. In the most recent past I have heard rumblings from some about setting up a social system and putting everyone one on it at the same time. Weeeeeeee…look at us.

setting up a social system and putting everyone one it at the same time. Weeeeeeee…look at us.

I believe in keeping the entire organization in the loop when it comes to communicating with employees, middle management, as well as administrative and executive branches. However, how that communication is broken up and what communication is delivered to each department is critical to manual operations as well as research and development, marketing, HR, financials, etc. Words are powerful, and words can be quickly misunderstood and emotional at best. Words change communication within an organization, and can present unforeseen internal challenges. Challenges can be good, so can change. It’s how much change that is taking place at any given time that needs direction. Being able to guide words that are producing change, that requires positive focus on everyones part.

There is any number of communications within an individual department that really doesn't need to be shared with others. “How” information is shared is more the point. The security of information or intellectual information (or technology) must be protected. Not everyone has a need to know.

It is possible to use interactive video conferencing, desktop meetings, and a host of communication systems to communicate within an organization and its departments. What is not always known is how much information each should share with the other. As well, when do we reach a communication/meeting overload with digital media? It is possible to find yourself in interact conferencing meetings and remain unproductive all week long. Words can also produce non-productively. Words can affect your bottom line. Hint: Lighten up on the meetings okay?

Lighten up on the meetings okay?

To counter balance all these lists of words, we formulate and set up committees, and develop templates for examination and analysis. Employees are given access to certain levels of communication systems (list serves). We tell our employees that this group gets this list of words, and that group gets another set of words. Words can be powerful within your scope of expertise.

We need to keep our employees in the loop about the overall well being of our operations, but only as it relates to the overall productive state of our work environment. Social media tools are great to speed up communication across the distances. But, reality tells us “less is more”.