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Using Hot Phrases And Words To Communicate
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Written by Robert Bacal
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Hot words and phrases are bits of language that have a high degree of emotional meaning to people. They are probably the most difficult to identify completely because what is "hot" to one person may not be "hot" to another. The "hotness" of a phrase will often depend on cultural backgrounds -- for example there are phrases and words in Japanese that would not offend a North American if they were translated directly. Learn how hot phrases and words influence situations and affect listeners. Hot words escalate conflict if it exists, and contribute to starting conflict. They have the effect of preventing the other person from hearing you. Think about the effects of two common hot phrases, "Whatever" and "I don't care". There is no way that you can use either of these and sound cooperative and helpful. What happens is that the other person hears these words, and because they have an emotional effect, tends not to hear what else you say. For example: "I don't care why this project has gone awry...what I want to do is found out what we can do to fix it right now". What will the other person hear and how will they perceive you? In all likelihood the other person will get "stuck" on the phrase "I don't care", and NOT hear what follows. They may hear "I don't care blah, blah, blah, wallawalla bingbang" and conclude that you don't care because they haven't heard the rest of the sentence.
For more examples and more detailed help on workplace communication and conflict, click here.
You can learn more about cooperative communication, by looking at a free preview of the Communicating Cooperatively In The Workplace helpcard. |
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Communication Skills 
