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Does What You Say Make an Impact?

Making sure every word really lands is more important than ever. Because in general, we’re using fewer words!

That means if you want to have any influence at all, you need to speak in a way that really connects, drives your point home, and stays with your listeners over time.

Here’s what’s going on when it comes to talking …

Numlock News grabbed my attention with this: “We’re speaking fewer and fewer words over the course of a day.”  

A 2019 study “determined that on average, people spoke about 12,700 words per day. In 2007, that number came in at 15,900.” It wasn’t just a sudden drop-off. The researchers found a consistent decline of about 338 words-per-day every year.

And that was before the COVID epidemic and resulting work-at-home culture that cut our conversations even further. We can guess the drop in words per day has continued—and maybe picked up momentum.

What’s behind the decline?

How often do you send a quick text instead of making a phone call? That alone cuts our talk time enormously.

We used to walk into the bank and chat with the teller when we cashed our paycheck or made a deposit. Now we use a drive-through ATM or the app on our phone.

Instead of talking with sales associates when we shop at Target or Ulta or REI, we just order what we need from their website and pick it up off our porch when it’s delivered.

At work, we’d chat with a stranger in the elevator. Kibbitz with coworkers in the break room. Gather in the conference room for a presentation and conversation.

Now we work at home. We send our ideas to colleagues in emails or Slack, and maybe we check in on Zoom or Teams once in a while.

Thinking about my own experience? There are days I don’t say a word out loud until late in the afternoon. I’m not saying I like those days. I’m just saying they happen—and not infrequently.

The result? We get a little bit rusty.

Because we don’t talk as much as we used to, when it does matter—in the meeting, on a call, at the moment when you want to have some influence—you might feel hesitant. A little unsure.

Not because you don’t have something to say. But because you haven’t had as many opportunities to say it out loud.

Because they’re out of practice, when it really does count people are still yammering as if words are unlimited. They warm up before they get to the point. They over-explain. They circle around the main idea before they finally say what they want people to hear.

In a world where spoken words are becoming more scarce, that’s a problem.

Think about it this way. If you only get so many words in a day … how many of yours are actually doing anything?

It’s time to make sure your words matter, don’t you think?

Here are a few ways to do that.

Lead with the big idea. Don’t make your clients, colleagues or others dig for your main message. Say it. Support it. And stop. Skipping the blahblah helps our message land with impact.

Of course you’ll be talking with some people who want more details; you’ll want to be prepared to go deeper when that comes up. Give them space to ask for more, though, rather than automatically inundating them with data.

Have your intention down before you even begin speaking. What do you want your listeners to think, feel, or do as a result of what they hear from you? What will you say—and how will you say it—to create the outcome you’re going for?

Focus on the sound of your voice as well as the content. That means you minimize filler language—um, uh, like, you know and so on.

Put a period at the end of your sentences. Avoid that habitual upspeak that makes everything you say sound like you’re not totally sure you mean it.

Pause to make sure your meaning sinks in. Give your listeners a chance to get it. And give yourself a chance to breathe. A strong voice depends on good breath support.

Create reps on purpose. Next meeting you’re in, try speaking up one more time than you normally would. Start a conversation when you might otherwise stay silent. Practice out loud. Start getting in the habit of making yourself heard.

Confidence comes from the reps.

So, we’re using fewer words in a day than we used to …

That doesn’t make your voice less important. In fact, it makes your voice even more valuable. Because every time you open your mouth now, you’re stepping into a moment that carries more weight than it used to.

You don’t necessarily need to say more. The goal is to matter more.

You know what you say always matters to me. You might just go ahead and say something now with a comment below.