Conversations Matter

An old boss and mentor of mine (and, by old, I mean "former" even though he is on the other side of 50...) used to constantly remind us that "language is behavior." At the time, I would roll my eyes, chalk this up to pontification and chucklingly go back to the work that was really "important."

Several years have passed since I worked for this person, however, and (hopefully) I've grown a little wiser, coming to realize that there may have been some worth to a lot of the stuff he said (actually, I'm sure he's still saying it!) So, that "language is behavior" mantra was playing through my mind as I read this post from Dick Cavett's New York Times blog.

There is a large part of me that believes we all just need to relax...about everything. So, my knee-jerk reaction was "OK, so President Bush looks like a fool when is pronounces nuclear 'nuke-you-lur' - who cares? You know what he means."

But when I stop to think about it - and apply it to my every day work - I'm forced to admit that this stuff is important, even if it can seem like nitpicking.

For example, you could draft the most relevant, jargon-free, compelling and powerful press release ever, but if you're touting software that is meant to complement, but instead you've it complimenting, you've lost the battle before it's begun. Further, the improper use of language implies laziness, sloppiness and disrespect. Certainly, this is not a perception one would want to cultivate in the minds of managers and colleagues.

But as Mr. Cavett points out, there are more dire consequences here than lost sales or career damage:

"Getting a little thing like words right, is it so important?

The right answer is: Yes. As when poorly worded road signs cause fatalities. Sloppy language leads to sloppy thought, and sloppy thought to sloppy legislation. And why not a sloppy war? What if someone big, issuing an order of earth-shaking potential, made the (tiny) error of confusing the last letters of Iraq and Iran?"

While there may have been political motivation in Mr. Cavett's use of this particular scenario, that is not my intent in highlighting it. Regardless of your politics, this example illustrates that just maybe the line between language and behavior is a lot less clear than I originally thought.

Being that it's Valentine's Day, it only seems appropriate to mention that I love this post by Guy Kawasaki.

Last week, I wrote about how the improper use of language can have huge negative effects on our work, our careers and our world. Equally, if not more, important is making sure you choose the exact right words (not merely avoid using the wrong ones) to express a point of view. That's the way to inspire the reactions and motivate behavior you desire.

And isn't that what our business is all about?

I've said before said before that I find Twitter ridiculous.

But as shown by three posts in TWO DAYS (not to mention previous content about it), Scoble apparently loves Twitter. So, I've been forced to re-think it.

I still don't get it.

Is it really uesful - or even interesting - for "the world" to know that you missed your bus? Or that you're thinking about which of Barker's Beauties from The Price Is Right is your all-time favorite? Wait, don't bother answering. I'll take this one...uh, NO!

With even the most ardent Web 2.0-ers feeling like there's already too much to keep up with, why on earth would somebody take the time to post incremental updates about their daily minutiae, let alone waste time reading about somebody else's.

If your missed bus means you'll be late for a meeting with me, give me a buzz. If you want to debate game show "co-hosts," let's do it over a beer.

Twitter is a classic example of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

I've recently become a very loyal reader of infOpinions?, the blog of Robert French, who teaches PR at Auburn University.

What I like about Robert's posts is that the perspective he offers combine academic rigor with real-world experience. He clearly understands what PR is like at the practitioner level (i.e., outside the classroom), but rather than relying solely on his own experience or opinions in articulating points of view, he backs up his assertions via the well-researched, fact-based approach required in an academic setting.

(It doesn't hurt that he's a great writer, articulating complex arguments in an organized, logical, compelling way.)

If you haven't already, be sure to check out Robert's blog!