Make people listen with your language
I was just speaking to an American friend about bugs we’re both dealing with today and he said, in reference for his set.
"Driving me bonkers"
I don’t know about you but I haven’t heard an American use that phrase for a while if ever (if my dear American brethren utter this on a daily basis, I apologies… you need to do it more in front of me) so it jumped out of the conversation at me. It made me smile without losing the meaning of what he was saying.
Do you moderate your more colourful language depending on who you are talking to? And I am not talking about swearing, that’s a matter for another post.
Does the odd ‘quirky’ word help drive your message home? Will it make you memorable?
If you’re pitching something or someone then anything you can do that will differentiate you from the crowd is a good thing, naturally you must let your content / produce speak for itself but you know that once you’ve all gone home the panel will be discussing you and your fellow competitors - do you want to be "the dull one", "the one with the yellow shirt" or "the bouncy one"?
Don’t go over the top, but never moderate your natural speech patterns so much you lose all emotion and pigeon hole yourself as "the flat one" because who wants to employ them or buy from them?
June 10th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I absolutely moderate what expressions I use depending on whom I’m speaking to.
For example, I avoid many colorful expressions when texting a certain friend of mine who always seems to take them literally (i.e. never heard of them) and use them liberally when communicating with a very intelligent friend of mine. Also, on occaision, when talking with a known Brit (I’m American) I’ll sign my message “cheers” because, honestly, that’s the best ever.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Might that have been me? I find the English language with all its accents pretty expressive such that I don’t have to use tired and crude expressions like a southern red neck when there are plenty of equally expressive and amusing quips that don’t offend. Also helps I did my senior school years in Australia and have English and French Canadian family and friends from which to draw on. ”Mon dieu chalice tabernacle.” ”Too right mate!”
June 11th, 2008 at 9:33 am
Yes, that was you
such a great exspression!
How true, the more cultures you are exposed to, the greater your pool of potential phrases, I still remember the giggles from my german work-mates when I said, in German ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’, a phrases they had never heard