3 Words That Kill Your Credibility

The words you say matter. You can be the expert at the conversation and kill the deal with your vocabulary.

In my practice, in politics, and in leadership your words set the tone. Be intentional.

1. "I just" - The word "just" is only appropriate when discussing justice or the basics "think: just do it!" When you start a sentence with "I Just..." or worse end it with "That's just my opinion" you negate every ounce of wisdom you brought to the table. You poured a cup of salt on an otherwise perfectly made cheesecake.

INSTEAD: There is no need to replace the word. Just Stop Saying It (see what I did there?) Stand firm in your belief. State the fact. "I just think we should..." should be said: "we should..."

2. "Hate" as in "I hate to interrupt." No, you don't! likely you aren't practicing good listening skills. Likely you need to work on taking a breath and letting your audience finish. hate in this context is a terrible word and it tells the audience YOU discount THEM (unlike "just" where you discount yourself).

It, and those like it, are toxic.

INSTEAD: Be present, listen to the conversation, and talk in the pauses. If you simply must interrupt, say "Excuse me." for example when someone is demeaning themselves, that is the perfect time to interrupt, but the word "hate" won't work how you think it will.

3. "Feel" as in "I feel like we should..." Nobody cares about your feelings. Face it, when you approach a situation with feelings, your audience isn't likely to follow. They want leadership. (Maybe you could pull out your Crisis-Proof Business Handbook by Cody Hand, LLC?) They want authority.

INSTEAD: Replace the word feel or feelings with authority. We ARE going to do this because... or We should...or phrase it in a question to empower your audience.

In an era devoid of certainty, be the anchor that grounds people. Start with your words.

Get a Will!

This week’s Cody Hand - lawyer section will be short.

Get your affairs in order. You WILL die. Don’t leave your family hanging. When I create a crisis-proof plan for my business members, we make sure every owner and executive has a will in place. It is THAT important.

PS: I call my customers/clients “members” because we build a relationship together. They are more than a series of transactions.

5 Seconds to Change Your Life

The book of the week in the Hand household is The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins. It is an excellent and quick read. I recommend the audiobook narrated by Mel herself. We did it on a road trip.

Here is the abridged version, but you should seriously listen to it all:

Any time you have a thought to act or need to stop yourself from acting. Count backward from 5. When you get to 1, physically move your body.

Mel starts by getting out of bed without snoozing. The alarm goes off, count 5,4,3,2,1 and get out of bed.

Want to stop eating? Count 5,4,3,2,1 and move away from the food.

We have been using the 5-second rule this week and it actually works. I am writing this right now because I woke up this morning and thought “what am I going to write about.” 5,4,3,2,1 and I am at the computer typing this epic newsletter.

The Speakers Collaborative Is Looking For Speakers

The Speakers Collaborative is now forming our cohorts for the fall. The Collaborative comes to you. With a minimum of 5 speakers, we take you from amateur to professional in six weeks.

Investing in your dreams, diversifying your income, and knowing your worth are essential lessons from the Speaker’s Collaborative Course.

You’ll overcome your fears and get your message to the right audiences through six sessions, culminating in a real-life experience to hone your craft.

In exchange, we’ll enlist our promotional team to develop professional collateral to launch your public speaking career, including a:

• Headshot

• Edited promo reel

• Full-length professionally edited digital talk

• Recorded and edited walking introduction

• Audio and video releases

• Social media promotion, including posting your presentation on YouTube

• A minimum of three publishable testimonials.

• One-page introduction/preparation

• Stage time

• Full access to audience reviews and feedback.

• A unique promo opportunity such as a film sizzle reel, book signing, audience t-shirts, etc.

Take the Vacation

Regular readers know that Cody Hand, LLC has several irons in the fire, one of which is Dads who Disney, which is really my daughters’ business-building experiment. Who are we kidding - It relaxes me to plan travel for others.

Thinking about taking a vacation? Let our team (read: The Hand Family) create a curated experience for any budget (and not just Disney.)