Did you know that more people prefer The War Of The Worlds in written form to its silver screen adaption?
Like Personal Growth on Facebook
Proof, if it were needed, that words are often far more powerful than visuals.
The same goes in business, for no matter how much you concentrate on your appearance and the way in which you physically carry yourself in the office each day, the way you communicate with words will often mean the difference between success and failure.
A rambling proposal may be all that’s required to prevent that new customer from coming on board.
Likewise, a poorly-written email or ill-conceived tweet might put you out of contention for the big promotion you’ve set your sights on.
In this post, I’m going to focus on the latter. And I’ll start by giving you some impetus.
The role of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is a position that’s vital in the digital age, and while you may have never heard of Kevin Lynch, Apple’s CTO spent a staggering twenty-four years within six separate positions before being given that role.
Likewise, Microsoft’s Chris Capossela worked his way through eleven positions over twenty-three years to become their Chief Marketing Officer.
Neither are household names, but it’s safe to assume that neither got to where they are on the power of their actions alone.
They’ll have invested heavily in the power of words to propel them up the company ladder because they were aware of the following facts:
Words convey exactly how you feel
If you’ve ever received an email from someone and immediately picked up the phone to talk through their concerns, it will be because the message itself was laced with feeling and emotion.
When you write from the heart, the words that leave your brain and end up on the page (digital or otherwise) provide a unique insight into the way you feel.
A single sentence can be far more powerful than an hour-long monologue caught on camera.
Words force people to shut off the world around them and listen
When you read something, you fall into the world of the author. By their very nature, words are unhindered by distractions.
Because people read in a linear fashion, they’ll follow you on your literary journey (be it a blog post or email to your boss requesting the chance to be interviewed for a new position) without drifting off course.
That means you’ll have gained their undivided attention – a very valuable tool to have at your disposal.
Words can be quoted and used for inspiration
Once you’ve written something and published it, there’s no going back – it’ll be there forever.
And, while that might sound a little frightening, it does at least mean that your thoughts can spread quickly and be quoted from in the future.
The more people lean on your words to make their own points felt, the taller your stature will grow within your chosen field.
In turn, you’ll stand a far greater chance of being noticed and being given opportunities to further your career.
Thought leadership in the modern world is a very powerful thing indeed.
Wrapping up
The next time you decide to apply for a new job or find yourself determined to write an email to your boss, do so with the above points in mind.
If you take care over your written communication, you’ll build trust with those around you and become known as someone who always has something interesting to say.
And who knows where that might lead?
