{"id":11648,"date":"2020-07-02T07:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/?p=11648"},"modified":"2026-04-21T13:06:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T17:06:44","slug":"effective-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/effective-words\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Highly Effective Words for Business Meetings: Warning, Proceed With Caution!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research conducted by professor Cynthia Rudin of M.I.T. and student Been Kim, on highly effective words for business meetings, found that the words yeah<\/span>, give<\/span>, start<\/span>, <\/strong>and meeting<\/strong><\/span> have a larger impact in meetings than other words.<\/h2>\n

However, while the discussion<\/u>\u00a0<\/strong>also made their list of effective words for business meetings\u2014w<\/em>e warn you to be cautious.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Effective<\/a><\/p>\n

Discussion or Concussion?<\/h3>\n

The word discussion<\/strong> is closely related to the terms concussion<\/strong>\u00a0and percussion.<\/strong> Discussion signifies unstructured meetings.<\/span><\/p>\n

WARNING: Unstructured discussions are the primary reason most people don\u2019t look forward to meetings.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Unstructured Headaches<\/b><\/h3>\n

How\u2019s that unstructured discussion approach working out for you? When you have a headache departing a meeting, it\u2019s probably because the meeting was not structured and you\u2019re not sure what, if anything, was accomplished<\/a>. Even lousy movies or novels have three components: a beginning, a middle, and an end. Ever been in a discussion without one of those components? Unfortunately, all too often, we all have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, let\u2019s embrace the first four words and strive to avoid the fifth. In order to structure discussions, consider the analogy of the three activities of professional brainstorming<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. List (diverge)<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Analyze\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Decide (converge)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    One Activity at a Time<\/b><\/h4>\n

    Groups can successfully complete any of the three activities, but they cannot complete them all at the same time, and certainly not without structure. Therefore, stop using the term \u201cbrainstorming\u201d as a verb (and its surrogate term: discussion). Do NOT brainstorm<\/strong> something any more than you do NOT do<\/span> Agile. You may be<\/span> Agile and do<\/span> Lean or Scrum<\/a>, etc. Likewise, do NOT brainstorm<\/strong>\u00a0or discuss,<\/strong> rather\u2014list, analyze, or converge\u2014but have your meetings focus on one activity at a time.<\/span><\/p>\n

    “Yeah\u201d \u2014 M.I.T.\u2019s Effective Word Number One<\/b><\/h3>\n

    As a positive affirmation, Yeah<\/strong> comes as no surprise. We spoke personally with Dr. Max Bazerman at length. At the time, he was our Negotiation<\/em> professor while attending the Kellogg School<\/a> of Business in Evanston. His research affirms that some of the guttural expressions can be the most effective words used during negotiations as well.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    For example, the simple expression Huh,<\/strong> will incite the listener to respond. Note that the speaker is not saying \u201cno\u201d nor are they saying \u201cyes.\u201d Therefore, the speaker continues to unveil their position, providing additional insight into their true demands.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    The next time you are negotiating a major purchase, try it. For example, let\u2019s take a new or used vehicle purchase. The sales associate stops with their reasons for you to purchase from them and you say huh.<\/strong> You have indicated that you are not rejecting their offer, nor accepting it. The term huh<\/strong> motivates them to continue, likely sweetening the deal even further with additional concessions or better pricing.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The word huh<\/strong> really says, \u201cTell me more.\u201d When parties exchange more information the likelihood increases that they will find an integral<\/a> solution, one that benefits them both. Without open communications, the participants treat the negotiations as cutting a pie, determining who gets the largest piece. Collaborative negotiators understand that carefully exposed positions during negotiations can lead to a bigger pie for both parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Neither party should expose themselves entirely up front, but be willing to barter and exchange for more information that leads to higher quality decisions<\/a>. Expose too much up front, without reciprocity, and you risk being taken advantage of.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cGive\u201d \u2014 M.I.T.\u2019s Effective Word Number Two<\/b><\/h3>\n

    People love to receive. Go to a major trade show sometime in Frankfurt or Las Vegas and watch people waiting in line to get a \u201cfree\u201d chotsky or promotional product. People like to receive free stuff so much that there are dozens of terms and spellings used to describe what others give<\/strong>\u00a0them including:<\/span><\/p>\n