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02 MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
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“Do not believe what your teacher tells youmerely out of respect for the teacher”
Gautama Buddha
Focus on Facts
A strong argument is one that usesfacts over opinion. But, that can be dif-ficult to remember when you’re in themiddle of a disagreement. However, arespectful — not to mention com-
pelling — disagreement is one thatpriorities logic over your emotionsabout the situation. So, don’t forget toplace your emphasis on the reasoningand information supporting your dis-agreement.
Know when to move onThat cliché catchphrase “agree to dis-agree” is oft-repeated for a reason: It canbe a handy sentiment to lean on when youneed it. Perhaps one of the most impor-tant pieces of respectfully disagreeingwith someone is knowing when you need
to justcall itquits andmove on. No,it’s not alwayseasy to swallowyour pride and walkaway — particularlywhen you feel strongly aboutyour side. But, sometimes it’s thebest thing you can do.
Avoid putting down other person’s ideas and beliefs
If you’ve ever been on the receiving endof someone’s tirade or put-downs, youknow how valuable using respectful lan-guage and behaviour can be. So insteadof saying what you might be thinking(“That’s a stupid idea!”), try: “I don’tagree, and here’s why.” Resist the temp-tation to yell, use sarcasm, or makederogatory comments and you’ll have amuch better chance of getting your pointacross.
Keeping unnecessary expressions under control
Raising the voice, aggressive tones or
patronising undertone, rolling of theeyes will not change anyone’s mindto see your way, but perhaps feellike you are the antagoniser.You can stand your groundand maintain your beliefs,but understand others havetheir own too.
Stay calmThis is the most important thing youcan do to keep a conversation ontrack. Of course, it’s a huge chal-lenge to stay calm and rationalwhen you feel angry or passionateabout something — especially if theperson you’re talking to gets riledup. You may need to be the matureone who manages the conversation,even if the other person is some-one who should know better.
1. Totally, completely,absolutely, literally These words don’t add information to asentence. For example, “The box was com-pletely full of clothes.” reads the same as,“The box was full of clothes.” or betteryet, “The box was stuffed with clothes.”
2. Definitely, certainly,probably, actually, basically, virtuallyAgain, these words don’t add informa-tion. If the sentence makes sense with-out these words, remove them.
3. Rather, quite, somewhat, somehowA movie doesn’t have to be “ratherdull,” it can just be “dull.” Delete!
4. ThatIt’s superfluous most of thetime. Open any documentyou’ve got drafted on yourdesktop and find a sentencewith that in it. Read it outloud. Now, read it againwithout that. If the sen-tence works without it,delete it. Also? Don’t usethat when you refer to people.
5. VeryAccurate adjectives don’t need quali-fiers. Very is intended to magnify averb, an adjective, or another adverb.What it does is makes your statementless specific. If you’re very happy, beecstatic. If you’re very sad, perhapsyou’re melancholic or depressed.Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazyway of making your point. Another pit-fall of using very as a modifier is thatit’s subjective. Very cold and very tallmean different things to different peo-ple. Be specific. She’s 6’3” and it’s 13degrees below freezing. These makeyour writing better.
6. AmazingIt’s time to retire the word “amazing.
So, what are we supposed to say insteadof “amazing?” Funny you should ask:wonderful, incredible, startling, marvel-lous, astonishing, astounding, remark-able, miraculous, surprising, mind-blow-ing, staggering, bewitching etc.
7. AlwaysAbsolutes lock the writer into a posi-tion, sound conceited and close-minded,and often, open the door to criticismregarding inaccuracies. Always is rarelytrue. Unless you’re giving written com-mands or instruction, find another word.
8. JustIt’s a filler word and it makes your sen-tence weaker, not stronger. Unlessyou’re using it as a synonym for equi-table, fair, even-handed, or impartial,don’t use it at all.
9. MaybeThis makes you sound misinformed,unsure of the facts you’re presenting.Regardless of the topic, do the leg-work, be sure, and write an informedpiece. The only thing you communi-
cate when you include these wordsis uncertainty.
10. Used to“He used to write like this when
he started writing.” Reason:Using fewer words to express anidea is almost always a goodidea, so “used to write” can be
written “wrote,” as in, “He wrote likethis when he started writing.”
GOSSIPSpeaking ill of somebody who’s not pres-ent. Not a nice habit, and we know per-fectly well the person gossiping, five min-utes later, will be gossiping about us.
JUDGING We know people who are like this in con-versation, and it’s very hard to listen tosomebody if you know that you’re beingjudged and found wanting at the same time.
NEGATIVITY You can fall into this. My mother, in thelast years of her life, became very nega-tive, and it’s hard to listen. I rememberone day, I said to her, “It’s October 1 to-day,” and she said, “I know, isn’t it dread-ful?” It’s hard to listen when somebody’sthat negative.
COMPLAININGWe complain about the weather, sport,about politics, about everything, but
actually, complaining is viral mis-ery. It’s not spreading sunshine
and lightness in the world.
EXCUSESWe’ve all met this guy.Maybe we’ve all been
this guy. Some peoplehave a blamethrower.
They just pass it on to every-body else and don’t take responsibilityfor their actions, and again, hard to lis-ten to somebody who is being like that.
EXAGGERATIONPenultimate, the sixth of the seven,embroidery, exaggeration. It demeansour language, actually, sometimes. Forexample, if I see something that reallyis awesome, what do I call it? And then,of course, this exaggeration becomeslying, and we don’t want to listen to peo-ple we know are lying to us.
DOGMATISMAnd finally, dogmatism. The confusion offacts with opinions. When those twothings get conflated, you’re listening intothe wind. You know, somebody is bom-barding you with their opinions as if theywere true. It’s difficult to listen to that.
HOW TO
5 smart ways to disagree withsomeone respectfully
Stating an opinion➨In my opinion...➨The way I see it...➨If I was in your place...➨As far as I’m con-
cerned...➨If you ask me...
Expressing agreement➨I agree with you. ➨You’re absolutely
right.➨You have a point there.
➨That’s exactly how I feel.➨Exactly.
➨I’m afraid I agree with Mahesh.➨I have to side with Dad on
this one.➨No doubt about it.➨ (Agree with negative
statement) Me neither.➨ (Weak) I suppose so. / I guess so.
➨You have apoint there.
➨I was just going tosay that.
Expressing disagreement➨I don’t think so.➨I beg to differ.➨No, I’m not so sure about that.
➨Not necessarily.➨That’s not always
true.➨That’s notalways the case.➨No, I’m not so
sure about that.
Interruptions➨Can I add something
here?➨Is it okay if I jump in for a
second?➨If I might add something...➨Can I throw my two cents in?
➨Sorry to interrupt, but...➨ (After accidentally interruptingsomeone) Sorry, go ahead. OR Sorry,you were saying...➨(After being interrupted) You didn’tlet me finish.
Seeking agreement➨Do you agree?
Partly agreeing➨I agree up to a point, but ...➨I see your point, but ...
HELPFUL PHRASES
1. HEMANT: I think Virat is a better player than Sachin.
You: _______________(Agree)You: _______________(Disagree)
2. SUNIL: I am sure India willwin the upcoming T20 World Cup.
You: _______________________(Agree)You: ____________________(Disagree)
3. RAMESH: I think yesterday’sworkshop was very informative. I learnt a lot! You: _______________________(Agree)You: ____________________(Disagree)
EXERCISE: COMPLETE THE CONVERSATION
10 WORDS YOU SHOULD CUT FROM YOUR
WRITINGIMMEDIATELY
SINS OFSPEAKING
Seven deadly
Julian Treasure, in his TedTalk, ‘How to speak so thatpeople want to listen’mentions the seven deadlysins of speaking...
AGREE & DISAGREEHi friends. We are Learn how to get better at conversation
CONFUSING PLURAL FORMSSINGULAR PLURAL
abyss abysses
alumnus alumni
analysis analyses
aquarium aquaria
arch arches
atlas atlases
axe axes
baby babies
bacterium bacteria
batch batches
beach beaches
tooth teeth
bus buses
calf calves
son-in-law sons-in-law
SINGULAR PLURAL
cherry cherries
child children
church churches
circus circuses
city cities
scarf scarves
copy copies
crisis crises
curriculum curricula
deer deer
dictionary dictionaries
domino dominoes
dwarf dwarves
echo echoes
SINGULAR PLURAL
emphasis emphases
family families
fish fish
flush flushes
fly flies
foot feet
fungus fungi
half halves
hippopotamus hippopotami
hoax hoaxes
hoof hooves
index indexes
iris irises
knife knives
lady ladies
SINGULAR PLURAL
leaf leaves
life lives
loaf loaves
memorandum memoranda
mess messes
moose moose
mouse mice
nanny nannies
runner-up runners-up
nucleus nuclei
oasis oases
octopus octopi
thesis theses
pass passes
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