Your Words Are Sooo Powerful!

Do you know your words have enormous impact? In business and life, warlike language is so common, we sometimes don’t even notice it: crushing competitors, capturing customers, conquering markets. This language fuels fear, breeds contempt, and diminishes respect. Think about you and your organization:

1. Is violent or predatory language commonly used in your company?
2. Do you believe business can be highly profitable without resorting to warlike language?
3. Will you commit to replacing predatory words with more compassionate language?

The good news is you can use the equally motivating Amare language to prosper without being predatory, hardening your heart, or causing suffering. How? Read on.

SSM Health: A Story of Amare Language in Action

Sister Mary Jean Ryan institutionalized a non-violence language policy at SSM Health, the nonprofit Catholic healthcare system she led for many years. Knowing that her staff tended to victims of violence everyday, Sr. Mary banned the use of language that gratuitously indicated violence, in everything from business strategy to community presentations. You can too, starting with these examples:

• Capturing markets becomes securing markets.
• Target audiences become intended audiences.
• Bullet points become dot points (like this one!).

4 Steps to Put Love to Work with Non-Violent Language in Business

Start with these action steps from my book The Amare Wave (p. 66) to shift from predatory and violent language to compassionate and inclusive language in your organization. Let me know what changes you make and how it goes!

1. Become aware of the words you use, with whom, and under what conditions. Pay attention to how you and others react to violent and predatory language.
2. Set an expectation that when anyone notices this kind of language, they can safely point it out, with no blaming. Notice and praise when it is pointed out.
3. Challenge your team to identify and replace warlike language with more love-based and still impactful words. Make a chart to show the changes.
4. Set formal policies to ban language that connotes violence and provide replacement words. Make clear the connection between these policies and your company culture, values, and purpose.

Resources for Shifting from Warlike to Lovelike Language

Nonviolent communication (NVC) teaches compassionate language to promote understanding and valuing our common human needs. Check out this NVC workplace primer (Puddle Dancer Press) with many resources including the classic book by NVC founder Marshall Rosenberg.
 

Interview on PRI’s The World: Bulletproof plan! Stick to your guns! Shoot down a bad idea! Terribly relevant right now, How Gun Culture Permeates Our Everyday Language will forever change your thinking about “Gunspeak” and its effects.

Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote

“If you want to change the world, change the metaphor.”
—Joseph Campbell

Thanks everyone for tuning in to Amare Wave Wednesday! Do YOUR one amare thing today to improve your business and grow the wave!

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