What’s in a word?  I knew that words held significant meaning, but I didn’t realise that for women, many of the words we use regularly, impact on our being taken seriously which then impacts on our earning capacity.

Here are a few examples of words or language that can reduce your personal power and the power of the message you are trying to get across. 

“Just; I feel; I was wondering; This may sound stupid” can cause the reader or listener to view your message as inconsequential.  What you are doing is minimising the importance of your message and you.  Be specific and direct in your language, ensuring the receiver perceives confidence in your message.

“Sorry” – this word is overused and to such an extent that it has lost its true meaning.  You also send the message that you lack confidence and believe you are ineffectual in your job.  If you must apologise, use them sparingly, do it once and be sincere.  People can tell when you don’t really mean it.

“Believe; Think; Feel; Can’t & Might” – these words all carry the same effect, that you are unsure of your message.  Subtly tweak your message to more fact based language showing strength and certainty.

It took me a number of months to remove “Just” from my vocabulary and now I use it sparingly and only for specific circumstances.

A great tool to help you ensure your message is correctly received is by downloading the “Just Not Sorry” extension, available on the Chrome app store.

What word or phrase do you believe reduces your personal power?

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