Words

Words are powerful. An ancient teaching says that the words we speak have the power of life or death. But there are some things that words alone cannot do. In fact, studies on communication suggest that less than 10% of what we say is related to the words we use. The rest is tone, facial expression, body language, etc.

Since my post on authenticity two weeks ago, I have thought a lot about words. I wonder whether there are hidden strategies to move forward that are obscured because of my over-dependence on words or my inauthentic use of words.

To explore this concept further, I have been trying to imagine what it would be like for me to live in a world without words. What would communication look like? Would this hurt, or help, my communication and authenticity with others? This is a work in progress but here are a few things that are emerging.

1) In a world without words, eye contact becomes much more important. There is a familiar saying that 'eyes are the window to the soul'. I wonder, what am I communicating at different times when I choose to make eye contact? What am I missing when I avoid eye contact? 

2) In a world without words, it is easier to recognize the effect our non-verbal communication is having on others. I used to think that if I said nothing that people would not see what was going on inside of me. I am learning that many people know where I am at just by observing me.

3) In a world without words, the actions that we take, and the attitude behind them, reveal our priorities. Have you ever tried to convince someone that something you didn't do was really important to you to have done? If you are like me, someone may give you grace once or twice, but our repeated actions or inactions reveal what is truly important to us.

4) In a world without words, we need to grapple with silence. Periods of silence can be rich in communication. I have spent a lot of time interviewing people about their perception of their job, what is going well, and opportunities they see for improvement. I have found that my silence allows important things to surface that would not have come up had I been talking more.

And in the naked light I saw 

Ten thousand people maybe more 

People talking without speaking 

People hearing without listening...

-The Sound of Silence-

Of course, it is not really possible to live in a world without words for very long. In fact, it is ironic that I even have to use words to write this post. But I hope that I have succeeded in challenging you to look at how you can increase your authenticity and communicate more meaningfully as you walk into your dream.