Words have power - this little statement summarises it all!! Little or lot, every word we speak creates an impact, it either breaks or makes, it’s that simple. The effect a single word has on any situation is tremendous, so we must use it wisely.
As humans, the only thing that sets us apart from living beings is our ability to talk. Generally, when something is given to us exclusively, we need to be very cautious in using it because we are accountable for it. What we do with what's given to us creates a huge impact. We should use our gift of speech to empower and encourage others and not to pull anyone down.
I recently had an opportunity to attend an event. This resource person was sharing a true incident where a little boy of grade 2 was asked to give a speech in his school annual day celebrations. More than the little fellow, his parents were over the moon that their son would be performing at a big event. They started training him day and night without a break. The D-day finally arrived. It was time for the little one to get on stage and start his speech which he had toiled so much to prepare.
He stepped on to the stage, said, “Good Evening, everyone” and ran off the stage without looking back!! Everyone was shocked, including the parents. His headmaster and his class teacher went in search of the little boy. He was hiding in the restroom, not willing to open the door. Both his teachers kept cajoling him to come out and continue his speech but all he could say was “I am afraid, and I am not good enough to perform”. His headmaster thought for a second and said this, “We will be starting our annual day only when you give your speech, and we will all wait for however long you want to take to come out!” The boy took 2 minutes and opened the door and came out.
He was accompanied by both his teachers to the stage to continue his speech. Before he was about to start, the headmaster whispered these words to him. “I believe in you my dear and I am very confident that you can do it”. This gave the little one the much-needed confidence and he started his speech. To everyone’s astonishment, he delivered the best speech. What was the magic, nothing but his headmaster’s words!! That gave the little boy the much-needed confidence, he knew that someone believed and trusted him. That incident created a strong impact on him, and he went to excel in all his elocutions after that.
Do you know who the little boy was? It is the same person who was the chief guest of the event. He is one of the much-celebrated child Psychiatrist, Mr. Kannan Gireesh who went on to win the “Award of Excellence” from Shri Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India. See, words really matter. It's those words that made the little boy believe in himself and he went on to shine globally.
We have come across lots of incidents where individuals irrespective of their ages, have gone into depression and anxiety because of the words spoken over them by people around them without a second thought and not really thinking through about the effects those words might have on others. If you have anything to say at all, make sure it will create only a positive impact and nothing else.
Scientific research says that when we take time to talk to plants positively, they tend to respond with growth and they are found to show good progress in terms of reproduction. Words have life. It is not necessary for the person on the other side to even respond but the words we speak are sure to create an impact. Making that impact positive or negative lies in our hands, I would say in our words. Speak in such a way that our words create a ripple effect of positive thoughts and actions.
There is a quote that says, “Be sure to taste your words before you spit them”.
It is better to stay silent if we know our words are going to cause chaos. Psychology says, that every word we speak is something that we already have run through in our minds, and nothing comes out of our mouth in a spur of the moment. Remember that we are the masters of the unspoken words, but we become slaves for the ones spoken out, so choose to be a master. Weigh your words carefully before you spill. Once spoken, we would never be able to undo the effect it might have on the situation.
A famous quote by John Birmingham says, “Words matter, and the right words matter most of all. In the end they are all that remain of us”. Yes, words have power! We are given a powerful tool that can change situations. If we could use it purposefully its impact is beyond imagination. Choose your words wisely so that its only purpose is to build and not break, so be sure to speak life and only life!
About the Author
Shalini Solomon comes with close to 15 years of industry experience in the Human Resources space. She is currently designated as Head- People and Values with Kazh Fintech Private Limited. She likes to interact with people and makes sure they have the space to grow and learn and are free to work without any pressure. People first is always her approach. She holds an Engineering degree in Computer Science.