When Scotland on Sunday Business columnist Michelle Rodger asked me to to contribute to an article about the use of language and the “hidden” meanings of some of the words and phrases we use it got me  onto my favourite subject.

Right away I realise that the headline for this post might not be helpful. You see we can tell people what they shouldn’t do…but that’s not nearly as helpful as suggesting what they might do instead.

But I digress.

Listen to the most persuasive speakers and they usually use language that appeals to us. They tell us what we want to hear – and tell us that in a way that we want to listen. Storytelling is a lost art in my humble opinion. I don’t mean of  the Hansel and Gretel or Big Friendly Giant sort of storytelling here   – just the simple story that has a beginning, middle and end that illustrates the point you are trying to make.

Which is a skill that could come in handy in an interview  – or in a meeting with a potential new client - or a pitch for funding…

In any of those situations the people you are meeting need to find out about you – what you can offer, your specialist skills/talents/knowledge, how you respond under pressure etc. Then they will compare you with the other people they are meeting.

How you engage with them – the power of your words and the use of stories to illustrate – could give you the edge in a very competitive market or when funding or jobs are scarce.

So you owe it to yourself to be prepared!

Some tips

• Rework even the most disastrous of experiences until they sound postive – tell the story from the perspective of great learning
• Although we know that we should use positive words  it can be hard to identify when we lapse into the negatives. Get your friends to listen to you speak and tell you when you do and by practicing you will be able pull yourself up when you stray into the negative
• Leave out jargon. The people you are meeting might not be the technical experts  – and  leaving them out because they don’t know what you are talking about doesn’t really make sense does it?
• Tell people what makes you – your product and service and you as the deliverer – so special and remember to tell stories to illustrate from the point of view of the user .

If you would like some help with this check out my coaching for interviews or presentation skills training  or just get in touch jackie@consultcameron.com

By the way here’s a link to the Scotland on Sunday article