Watch Your Mouth

Torin Ellis
Torin Ellis
Vivid as if it were yesterday: I remember disappointing my mother in a hurtful way. In short, I was about to exit our green Buick LeSabre with spoke hubcaps and a damaged in dash radio when suddenly I yelled, "I hate my name and when I get older, I'm going to change it!" Angered, Mom reached back, with a Goody brush in hand, and tried to catch my smacker. Thank God she missed! She later explained her anger and the mandate of watching what I said. Trust me. Mandatory. No 1 - 2 - 3 stuff!

In business, the thought of someone smacking you in the mouth rarely enters the mind, but the need to monitor your words is nonetheless important. Perhaps more important in this time of "can't we all just get along," tort, heightened security, tense employee relations, and deranged personalities. One of the greatest challenges in business communication is maintaining confidentiality. Confidentiality builds trust and trust is something that is earned and then extended. Consider this in building a strong game of communication:

  1. Be less quick in providing feedback when others gossip and even less enthusiastic about perpetuating internal conflicts. Just do you.

  2. Be more willing to offer solutions. Better yet, be the solution, show actions and attributes that others will naturally gravitate to. Charisma I'm told.

  3. Monitor all email drafts for language and punctuation that create heightened negative energy. The reader is all alone and may feel "some kinda way."

  4. Watch the body language and positioning. There is a good and even better time to sit close to the table during an interview. Do you know the difference?
This Art is important, and includes so much more around articulation, choice, diction, tone, and modulation for starters. For Mom it was the pain associated with birthing and raising me and my seeming ungratefulness that angered her. I was too young to know that. You will find yourself in situations where you too are young in tenure and you "don't know as of yet." I now love the five in my name. It's Monday - watch your mouth - let's keep it moving!

  • Torin Ellis is the founder of Monday Mover (www.mondaymover.com ) and Second Motive (www.secondmotive.com ). Both organizations focus on the aggressive growth of professionals that want to be more, do more and give more. With an unshakeable focus on the elevation of who we are, Torin delivers thought provoking motivation via the Monday Mover newsletter and Monday Mover Radio. His staffing company delivers high paying employment ripe with promise with a focus on Sales and Sales Management. Do the right thing...sign up for the newsletter at mondaymover.com and encourage another to do the same.
BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS