Word Wise

This is a book with a theme that I wanted to find for a long time, each word has a value, meaning, energy, and extremely important message, Many times people simply repeat what they hear without processing the message and force that the words exert, wasting the power to communicate effectively, empowering, positive and inspiring messages for those who listen. We have speech habits that isolate us and separate us from the environment, only strengthening our ego here we learn the importance of giving meaning and real meaning to our messages, so as not to waste in general terms that do not express what we really want and makes us not be understood in our desires and feelings, asking generic questions takes away many opportunities to really connect with other people, it is useful to know how to personalize and convey what we think in an assertive way. We have also weakened the strength and meaning of superlatives by repeating them every so often, for any situation, that undermines the credibility of our words. Language has unlimited power if we use it properly, the summary that each chapter has at the end is very helpful to review the most important ideas, this is a work to read and reread as a continuous reference to learn to take advantage of the full potential of language. language, as a generator of great opportunities to connect with our peers, correct those junk terms that take the shine off ideas and messages, be unique in our communication processes, analytical and coherent, a fundamental theme for human development, especially in this current era where social networks, instant communication can be an opportunity or a waste. So from now on I will review each conversation, each word, its scope, possible messages, be aware of what my intention is, without disconnecting my real feelings and desires due to linguistic generalization.

Will Jelbert’s “Word Wise” took me a while longer to get through than I expected because I stopped so often to consider my own word choices and how they impact my relationships, both at work and in my personal life. Which, of course, is entirely the point of the book.Have you ever wondered why some speakers are so much persuasive than others? Why some meetings seem to just drag on forever and leave attendees confused and frustrated? How some people have no trouble at all making friends and other people seem to rub everyone the wrong way while saying all the right things? This book answers those questions and so many more.Jelbert is a master of language and human psychology and uses the two to show readers just how important word choice is when it comes to building connection between people. But it’s more than just a list of do’s and don’ts—Jelbert breaks down exactly why certain words ring falsely and don’t have the intended effect despite our best efforts.The etymology included in “Word Wise” is at times laugh-out-loud funny. Who knew that we’ve been using the word “darn” because “damn” and “tarnation” got all mixed up somewhere in the 1700s and came out the other side of the century as “darn?” It’s little tidbits like that that make the English language so charming, and Jelbert includes enough of them in this book to keep it interesting.It’s also conveniently laid out in such a way that we can pick it up and put it down at random intervals without losing track of a storyline or feeling like we’ve missed something if we skip around a bit. Don’t skip the last chapter though (my favorite), which introduces us to the concept of the “untranslatable” word—the odd word that is so specific in its meaning (typically within one culture) that it cannot be translated without some loss of meaning, so we just bring the original word over and incorporate it into our everyday speech. I’m currently looking for an excuse to use the word “hygge.”“Word Wise” is not a short book, nor an easy read, but it’s worth the time and energy investment. It has changed the way I read, write and engage in conversation. It is already making me a better communicator and improving my relationships. A must-read!

“Word Wise: Say What You Mean, Deepen Your Connection, and Get To The Point” by Will Jelbert, explores words and how they can either connect or disconnect people from one another. Words have the power to do both, and Jelbert delves into both scenarios but seeks to find and share those that connect people. The goal of the book is to discover how to use your words to deepen existing connections and make meaningful new connections.Jelbert begins by identifying “word trash”. These are words and phrases that don’t express our actual feelings and shut down opportunities for further conversation. They disconnect us and help to build resentment among other bad feelings. Once identified, we can consciously change the narrative and use better words and make connections.Which brings us to the second half of the book - Word Power. Word power is used to describe the ways in which we can speak in order to connect to people, create conversations that continue, and to build relationships. He gives us so many examples of how to deepen connections to others. We can use words that share our actual feelings, rather than masking them in order to avoid further conversation. We can use words that invite others to share their thoughts and start a dialogue. We can use words to work through an issue rather than to shut down and build resentment silently.Word power is indeed powerful!This book was so eye opening and valuable. I feel I can use these concepts in many areas of my life. I’ve already begun using them in my personal relationships, and will begin to translate them to work emails, texts and secondary connections. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Especially since we are all “connecting” on social media, it is important to know how to phrase things so that the connection is real and not just virtual.

This really makes you think about how the specific words you choose when communicating with others can impact on the quality of communication and the connections you build with people. I will definitely be dipping into this regularly to improve my conversational skills!

I think a lot of the word choice and evaluation is subjective. I found myself agreeing with the author most of the time. However, sometimes I felt that they were out of touch. People change and language evolves. The purpose of saying something is to communicate. If you effectively spoke like it was the 1700's right now, most people would think you've had a stroke.