Have you ever felt you had said something or perhaps, had said it better? I know I get that feeling all the time. I’m not always the most articulate or clear. Nor am I always the sharpest tongued person in the room, but I wish I was. If you have ever lacked the words to say something, or to say it in a worthwhile manner, then look at what the Apostle Paul writes on this topic:
Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone. (Colossians 4:6 GNB)
The two key words in this verse are: “pleasant” and “interesting.” If what you say is pleasant and interesting, then you will never respond to anybody wrongly. However, if you had to ever mutter profanities or vulgarities to articulate your sentiment on any occasion then you know in retrospect that what you said was wrong. It’s such a simple rule for us to follow so we can speak in a worthwhile way for any occasion we find ourselves as a speaker.
When our words are “pleasant” people are not offended even though what we say is offensive. When our words are “interesting” people stop to think about what we said even if they did not want to spend time to think about it. In both situations we are right in our words and have created a space for conversation where there once was none.
If we applied this to our business meetings, negotiations, or even telephone dialogues, wouldn’t there be so much more positive conversations that grow people in deep and profound ways? Imagine how much better relationships would be if we spoke like this on a regular basis–we would engage people better and influence more despite what is happening or has happened. Try it today.
No responses yet