I heard this word for the first time recently and it’s been buzzing in my head since. What a brilliant word.
As coaches, we always watch for all communicative signals from a client. Not just their words.
But let’s not underestimate words!
Words are so powerful.
I remember how relieved my daughter was to learn the word ‘shy’ to name her emotion and behaviour when encountering new people.
And how confused (discombobulated!) my son was when I pulled in the ‘drying rack’ (‘dry rack’ in Dutch) from the lashing rain: it was a ‘wet rack’!
Words can help you make sense of the world.
Words can help you make sense of yourself.
Words can make you happy.
Words can hurt you.
Words can make you think.
Words can make you sing. Or dance.
Words can bring you into a different world.
Words can bring you back to reality.
Noam Chomsky, the ‘father of linguistics’, said: “The fact is that if you have not developed language, you simply don't have access to most of human experience, and if you don't have access to experience, then you're not going to be able to think properly.”
As kids, we learn new words at an amazing pace. As adults, much less. But we can use all the existing words in an infinite number of new ways.
New combinations.
New metaphors.
They can make all the difference. In the way we describe the world.
And the way we experience it.
Enable others to experience it.
And let’s not forget about the absence of words.
In the end, silence is golden.
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