*** Words are Just Words

    YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD it said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, a word may just be worth a thousand pictures, or MORE!!

SINCE NLP(tm) IS ABOUT how the brain works and language, it's been one of my hobbies, since I was knee-high-to-a-grasshopper, to listen to various people and ...    YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD it said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, a word may just be worth a thousand pictures, or MORE!!

SINCE NLP(tm) IS ABOUT how the brain works and language, it's been one of my hobbies, since I was knee-high-to-a-grasshopper, to listen to various people and "how" they express themselves. I've learned a lot since then and am still amazed at how much there is to learn from the many rich resources out there.

THERE ARE GURUS ON TOP OF GURUS ( now there's a funny picture) in the area of marketing that will tell you "Sell
the Sizzle, not the Steak". Mmmmm, I gotta go and eat now, ooops!! Sorry, I'll do that later. (It was the sizzle thing). They'll tell you to use vivid examples, but they don't exactly tell you *how* to do "vivid". It's just that some people don't
really understand how language really works, and the precise sequencing of words in sentences, syntax and all.

FOR STARTERS, to make something more "vivid", just to use that word, they must use well-placed adjectives. Now, that in itself ought to be enough to understand, but when they use voluptuous, colorful, and passionate adjectives, they'll make their point more succinctly, if you see what I mean. And adjectives can be overdone (like steak) and then they'll be tough to swallow (argh). Think of adjectives as spices: too much and the dish is ruined, well, not actually the dish, but the food that's on the dish. Use them sparingly and in just the right amounts to bring out the full flavor in your messages!!

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT WORDS here to describe a very simple point. Some of the words make up idioms,
generalized phrases that become attached to a specific meaning. Some words will have you searching through your brain for which meanings they could apply to and others that won't hunt so far or deep into those neuro-synaptic pathways. So, if you don't want to be crying over the water under the bridge, then learn how structuring language is useful for constructingnew, deep reaching ideas. The ideas are where it all starts. The words are already inside your head, it's just a matter of getting them into the right sequence (for whatever it is you want to accomplish) and then out of your busy brain and out your mouth.

Examples:
puppies vs playful puppies, or playful and cute puppies
profit vs. enormous profit
savings vs. real savings or incredible savings

IT'S ALSO A GOOD and somewhat obvious (for those who have some NLP(tm) experience), idea to use the representational system predicates (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory and gustatory) in your communicating. The sweet smell of success is very appealing to people, not to mention the precise attention you'll pay to their accounts if you're their accountant.

COMING UP with just that right combination of adjectives that will enhance those ever essential nouns will make all the difference in the minds of your already cherished customers, and even potential customers.

SUBTLETY IS such a wonderful way to make dramatic difference each and every day.

NOW SOMEONE will probably think of asking, "Well, John, when would I use this?" and I'll say, "When do you use
words structured into sentences? That's when!!"

YOU CAN FIND lot of information about the structure of language in the oldies, but best of the goodies of books, The Structure of Magic I and II, not to mention the numerous resources in the bibliographies.

REMEMBER: WORDS ARE JUST WORDS, SO DO JUSTICE TO YOUR WORDS!!