a few exciting stock answers. When meeting
a potential friend or
loved one, make your life sound like you will be a fun person to
know.
As a young girl, I wrote novels in my mind about my life.
“Leil, squinting her eyes against the torrential downpour, bravely
reached out the window into the icy storm to pull the shutters
tight and keep the family safe from the approaching hurricane.”
Big deal—Mama asked me to close the windows when it started
to rain. Still, marching toward the open window, I fancied myself
the family’s brave savior.
You don’t need to be quite so melodramatic in your self-image,
but at least punch up your life to sound interesting and dedicated.
102
How to Talk to Anyone
Technique #25
The Nutshell Résumé
Just as job-seeking top managers roll a different written
résumé off their printers for each position they’re
applying for, let a different true story about your
professional life roll off your tongue for each listener.
Before responding to “What do you do?” ask yourself,
“What possible interest could this person have in my
answer? Could he refer business to me? Buy from me?
Hire me? Marry my sister? Become my buddy?”
Wherever you go, pack a nutshell about your own
life to work into your communications bag of tricks.
03 (093-142B) part three 8/14/03 9:17 AM Page 102
Did you ever hear someone try to say a word that was just too darn
big for his tongue? By the smile on the speaker’s face and the gleam
in his eye as
the word limped off his lips, you knew he was really
proud of it. (To make matters worse, he probably used the word
incorrectly, inappropriately, and maybe even mispronounced it.
Ouch.)
The world perceives people with rich vocabularies to be more
creative, more intelligent. People with larger vocabularies get hired
quicker, promoted faster, and listened to a whole lot more. So big
winners use rich, full words, but they never sound inappropriate.
The phrases slide gracefully off their
tongues to enrich their con-
versation. The words fit. With the care that they choose their tie
or their blouse, big players in life choose words to match their per-
sonalities and their points.
The startling good news is that the difference between a
respected vocabulary and a mundane one is only about fifty words!
You don’t need much to sound like a big winner. A mere few dozen
wonderful words will give everyone the impression that you have
an original and creative mind.
Acquiring this super vocabulary is easy. You needn’t pore over
vocabulary books or listen to tapes of pompous pontificators with
103
How to Sound Even
Smarter Than You Are
✰
26
03 (093-142B) part three 8/14/03 9:17 AM Page 103
Copyright 2003 by Leil Lowndes. Click Here for Terms of Use.
impossible British accents. You don’t
need to learn two-dollar
words that your grandmother, if she heard, would wash out of
your mouth with soap.
All you need to do is think of a few tired,
overworked words
you use every day—words like
smart
,
nice
,
pretty
, or
good
. Then
grab a thesaurus or book of synonyms off the shelf. Look up that
common word even you are bored hearing yourself utter every day.
Examine your long list of alternatives.
For example, if you turn to the word
smart
, you’ll find dozens
of synonyms. Some words are colorful and rich like
ingenious
,
resourceful
,
adroit
,
shrewd
, and many more. Run down the list and
say each out loud. Which ones fit your personality? Which ones
seem right for you? Try each on like a suit of clothes to see which
feel comfortable. Choose a few favorites and practice saying them
aloud until they become a natural staple of your vocabulary. The
next time you want to compliment someone on being smart, say,
you’ll be purring
“Oh, that was so
clever
of you.”
“My how
resourceful
.”
“That was
ingenious
.”
Or maybe, “How
astute
of you.”
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