#11 Words Matter: 10 Ways to Be More Intentional with Your Words

Welcome to a new episode of the 3x5 Leadership Podcast, where we champion intentional leaders to create significant impacts. This show aims to offer simple, practical strategies to help you live, lead, and learn more intentionally. You can listen to the episode on Apple, Google, or Spotify! Or you can watch it on YouTube.

Our words matter. How we communicate with others shapes how they receive us, interact with one another, feel about their work, and ultimately our collective results. And it can all start simply with how a leader communicates with others.

So, in today’s episode, we explore 10 specific ways that we as leaders can be more intentional with our words. These strategies offer mental approaches to conversations, common dos and don’ts, and even some specific phrases to employ – all things you can begin to apply today.

To give a little insight into what we explore today, here are the ten strategies summarized:

• First seek to understand, then be understood.
• Ask yourself, “what need is this person satisfying through their behavior right now?”
• Focus on the topic at hand, and not on the other person’s character, intentions, or emotions.
• Avoid overgeneralizations like “always” and “never.”
• Use collective pronouns like “we” and “us,” over individual ones like “you.”
• Do not start conversations with “can we talk” or “come see me.”
• “The story I’m telling myself is…”
• “I feel…” and “how I see it is…”
• “Can I share some truth in love?”
• Listening affirmations like “I hear you,” “that’s valid,” “that makes sense,” and “that’s fair.”

We are confident this episode can equip you to be more intentional in how you communicate with others starting today. Thanks for joining us and for your support.

Related Episodes & Resources

• Article: How to Ask Better Questions
• Article: 5 Considerations to Communicate Better
• Article: 3 Strategies to Communicate More Effectively (and Make Sense to Others)

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