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Words that make you sound weak

  1. #1
    Kev Space Nigga
    Your job title isn’t the only thing that determines how influential you are. Every word you use at work expresses your personal brand, from your confidence and authority to your depth of knowledge. And it’s verbs–those action words that should be the engine of a sentence–that most often trip us up.

    Overusing certain weak verbs can make you sound weaker, too. They can undercut your ability to inspire others and suggest to listeners–from top executives and colleagues to your direct reports–that you aren’t really sure of yourself. So while there’s certainly room for uncertainty in any workplace, you might want to trim these verbs from your vocabulary.
    1. “Think”

    Who doesn’t use the expression “I think?” Your coworker might say, “I think we should move ahead with this project,” or your boss may tell you, “I think you’ve got a good idea.” Harmless enough, right?

    The only trouble is that “think” doesn’t sound definitive. It subtly saps the power of whatever follows it. “Think” derives from an Old English word (“þencan” or “thencan”) meaning to “conceive in the mind, consider, meditate.” In other words, you’re subtly suggesting that you’re still considering the position you espouse–that you’re not sure of it.

    In ordinary conversation, “I think” is a throwaway phrase that won’t even register on most people, but you may want to steer clear of it at work. While it’s fine to mutter occasionally (“I think I’ll have coffee with my friend”), you’re better off axing any prefatory phrase in professional settings. Say, “You’ve got a good idea” or, “That’s an excellent proposal.” If you want a replacement verb, try, “I’m confident your plan will work!”
    2. “Need”

    When your boss says, “I need this report as soon as possible,” she undercuts herself. Using “need” conjures up a feeling of dependency on the part of the speaker, rather than of obligation and responsibility on the part of the team. I once heard a vice president say to her subordinate, “I need you to do something for me.” It made the tone of her request sound pleading rather than empowered. Simply put, “I need” makes you sound needy. To project more confidence, swap it with firm but polite phrases like, “Please have this report to me by next Friday.”
    3. “Want”

    “Want” is really similar to “need”: It suggests the speaker is wanting or lacking in some way. If a boss tells a subordinate, “I want you to improve the quality of your work,” that statement suggests the boss is not getting what she wants–which maybe she isn’t. But the better way to get what you want is to simply set forth facts: “Your work on this report needs to be higher quality.” That puts the onus on the employee.

    Similarly, if you tell your boss, “I want a raise,” you’ve made an emotional appeal and signaled your lack of confidence. It’s better to bring together a verb of conviction (“I believe” or “I’m convinced”) and your reasons: “I believe my pay and performance during the last year make a strong case for a raise.”
    4. “Guess”

    “Guessing” conveys tentativeness. I once heard a CEO tell analysts, “Our best guess is that our profit for year’s end will be marginally better than last year’s.” There were so many ways he could have reframed that more confidently: “We expect our profit for the year to be ahead of last year’s,” or, “Our results should surpass last year’s.”

    If you aren’t sure of the results, that’s fine! Don’t lie or exaggerate. Rather than “guess,” use the most confident expression you can.
    5. “Hope”

    Leaders often begin statements with “I hope”: “I hope we’ll get that sale” or, “I hope you’ll be able to take on that assignment.” Rather than inspiring confidence, “hope” has a prayer-like quality, suggesting that the speaker has little control over the outcome.

    What are some alternatives? Instead of saying you “hope” that a team will bring in a client sale, tell them, “I’m looking forward to a win,” or “I know you’ll give it your all.” These statements are much more empowering. They show your confidence in what your team can already do, rather than subtly questioning their performance in the future.
    6. “Suppose”

    You’re having coffee with a colleague who asks if you’re going to an upcoming town hall meeting. If you answer, “I suppose so,” you quietly indicate that it doesn’t really matter to you–you’re not really engaged.

    There’s no occasion in the workplace where conveying your indifference and inertia will improve your influence or authority. Instead, find something to express your passion for (even if it’s not the meeting experience itself): “Yes, I’ll definitely be there–I want to hear what management has to say.” You may not think this matters when you’re talking to a teammate, but it does. News travels fast, and if the words you repeatedly use suggest a “don’t really care” attitude, it’s only a matter of time before your reputation and influence begin to dip.

    Language is a powerful force in all your impromptu conversations. And because there are more chances to use them, the small words and phrases you resort to every day at work can have an outsized impact on your leadership ability. Cut these six verbs from your lexicon, and you’ll start to notice your power and confidence climb.


    I dont disagree with the article but its missing many more examples.

    any of you care to add more?

    "inappropriate" is a big one, i only ever heard women and the most vaginal men utter that.
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  2. #2
    cigreting Dark Matter
    Using the term poc, feminism, and any words or phrases the left comes up with
  3. #3
    the man who put it in my hood Black Hole [miraculously counterclaim my golf]
    idk, whoever wrote this is a faggot and I just say whatever I want. This is just the same shit they teach you in sales training, use positive words not negative.

    Don't say things like "I don't know" or "no" because those are negative statements. Phrase things in a way where yes is the only option. this is common manipulation used at even the lowest levels of sales training and I think it's gay because "it gets results" but you are manipulating a person with language instead of being honest.

    The truth is being your honest and true self gets you nowhere in life because those are not the values our society is based on. That's why people have to follow certain speech patterns of the professional world because its proven to work in this culture. I just find the entire thing disgusting and I think people are all fucking retards, also that shit doesn't work on me.

    Basically it's just treating people like NPC's because people literally are programmed to act a certain way which is why scamming is so easy to do if you use the right words. People are just stupid
  4. #4
    Kev Space Nigga
    Originally posted by cigreting Using the term poc, feminism, and any words or phrases the left comes up with

    lol yeah, but im not refering to castrated vernacular (cis, misgendering etc) but rather common, non made-up words that tends to be common among the subhumans.
  5. #5
    Sudo Black Hole [my hereto riemannian peach]
    "words are used most effectively in context specific scenarios"

    Holy fuck PROMOTE THIS MAN
  6. #6
    Kev Space Nigga
    Originally posted by the man who put it in my hood idk, whoever wrote this is a faggot and I just say whatever I want. This is just the same shit they teach you in sales training, use positive words not negative.

    Don't say things like "I don't know" or "no" because those are negative statements. Phrase things in a way where yes is the only option. this is common manipulation used at even the lowest levels of sales training and I think it's gay because "it gets results" but you are manipulating a person with language instead of being honest.

    The truth is being your honest and true self gets you nowhere in life because those are not the values our society is based on. That's why people have to follow certain speech patterns of the professional world because its proven to work in this culture. I just find the entire thing disgusting and I think people are all fucking retards, also that shit doesn't work on me.

    Basically it's just treating people like NPC's because people literally are programmed to act a certain way which is why scamming is so easy to do if you use the right words. People are just stupid

    Being honest all the time about everything is very poor social skills which will lead you into getting manipulated and scammed by everyone around you, as you more or less explained.

    honesty should be a value but living in that lalaland wont get you anywhere in the real world. you sink or swim in this one.
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  7. #7
    the man who put it in my hood Black Hole [miraculously counterclaim my golf]
    I'm too violent and unstable to be scammed. People have tried before but the last person that did I showed up to his house with a knife and took his xbox because he 'disrespected' me. I don't even really know if he was trying to scam me but I thought I heard him say something like he wanted to and because i'm a violent and unstable person I decided to fuck with him because I had 'moral justification'.

    People usually just avoid me all together and anyone that tries to scam me gives up quickly because of how fucked I am. Sometimes that even pisses me off and I get violent towards someone that gives up trying to scam me because fuck you bitch you give up too easy what the fuck is wrong with you lets fucking fight and they are like stay the hell away from me whats wrong with you and call the police.
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  8. #8
    Kev Space Nigga
    Originally posted by the man who put it in my hood I'm too violent and unstable

    ^spaz with poor social skills.

    you already got scammed into failure, look where you ended up.
  9. #9
    Narc Naturally Camouflaged [connect my yokel-like scolytidae]
    "I don't even really know..."

    "but I thought..."

    "because I had moral justification..."

    "...because of how fucked I am"

    "sometimes..."


    .
  10. #10
    the man who put it in my hood Black Hole [miraculously counterclaim my golf]
    I turned my life around because I gave up on the professional world. It's toxic and I don't want to spend my Christmas doing cocaine in bathrooms with fifty year old women like Octavian does it's just cringe
  11. #11
    cigreting Dark Matter
    Originally posted by the man who put it in my hood I'm too violent and unstable to be scammed. People have tried before but the last person that did I showed up to his house with a knife and took his xbox because he 'disrespected' me. I don't even really know if he was trying to scam me but I thought I heard him say something like he wanted to and because i'm a violent and unstable person I decided to fuck with him because I had 'moral justification'.

    People usually just avoid me all together and anyone that tries to scam me gives up quickly because of how fucked I am. Sometimes that even pisses me off and I get violent towards someone that gives up trying to scam me because fuck you bitch you give up too easy what the fuck is wrong with you lets fucking fight and they are like stay the hell away from me whats wrong with you and call the police.

    😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂
  12. #12
    Originally posted by Kev I dont disagree with the article but its missing many more examples.

    any of you care to add more?

    "inappropriate" is a big one, i only ever heard women and the most vaginal men utter that.

    domt use question mark or question tone.

    they only make you sounds weak.
  13. #13
    Kev Space Nigga
    Originally posted by vindicktive vinny domt use question mark or question tone.

    they only make you sounds weak.

    but what if i wanna learn something? do i demand the answer instead?

    SHOW ME HOW TO SPLIT ATOMS OR I RAPE UR MOTHER!

    wait, he'll call the cops on me, fuck.
  14. #14
    Ajax African Astronaut [rumor the placative aphakia]
    As mentioned in your article, “I think” was big for me. I said that a lot earlier in my career life. Someone finally told me to stop saying “I think” because obviously it’s something I think or I wouldn’t be saying it. Changed my life.
  15. #15
    Originally posted by Kev but what if i wanna learn something? do i demand the answer instead?

    SHOW ME HOW TO SPLIT ATOMS OR I RAPE UR MOTHER!

    wait, he'll call the cops on me, fuck.

    no.

    you can get answers without ever sounding inquisitive.
  16. #16
    Kev Space Nigga
    Originally posted by vindicktive vinny no.

    you can get answers without ever sounding inquisitive.

    do tell.
  17. #17
    Originally posted by Kev do tell.

    observe.
  18. #18
    Ajax African Astronaut [rumor the placative aphakia]
    Originally posted by vindicktive vinny no.

    you can get answers without ever sounding inquisitive.

    Inquisition bait.
  19. #19
    the man who put it in my hood Black Hole [miraculously counterclaim my golf]
    Originally posted by Ajax As mentioned in your article, “I think” was big for me. I said that a lot earlier in my career life. Someone finally told me to stop saying “I think” because obviously it’s something I think or I wouldn’t be saying it. Changed my life.

    That's fucking stupid. It's a performative. I bet you say "yeah, no" and "at the end of the day" and think you're smart too.

    pathetic. That's why the professional world is so boring because you can literally just say words a bit different and be the most fake person ever and you get really far.

    HE SAY WORDS HURR DURR fuck society and normies this is why I don't get upset when people go on killing sprees because everyone is so stupid and fake.
  20. #20
    the man who put it in my hood Black Hole [miraculously counterclaim my golf]
    Originally posted by infinityshock lovingly allowed lard-ass lanny the luxury of lapping the loins-leviathan while the little lad larps as a laotian ladyboy lapdancer---.-.-.-.-.---.-----.-.-.--.-.--.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..----.-..-.-.-.-.-.----.-.-.-..-.-.-.--.-.-.-.------(b­anned) 'no' is an assertive statement

    thats what underlings need…the simple, straightforward, and concise terminology.

    'i dont care' is another one to never use around anyone…underlings or superiors.

    basically any word that isnt assertive should remain in the vocabulary of the women. 'just'…'maybe'…'guess'…

    when im directing subordinates i dont use any of the phrases on that stupid suggestions list, and i dont know any supervisors that do. its a simple matter of saying what needs to be done…or what the subordinate needs to do…or what path needs to be taken. the prefixes arent necessary and grandiose phraseology isnt necessary.

    yeah, no. i dont think it really matters at the end of the day. Whatever, I don't care. Fuck yall
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