Using your words for good: A reflection on the power of language

With everything that’s going on in the world currently, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the power of words.

Sometimes, when you’ve got your head down getting through the routine of life, it’s easy to forget how powerful both the written and spoken word can be. Juggling work and home life doesn’t always leave a lot of capacity for thought when we speak or shoot off an email, yet they can make or break relationships.

The MRPR team has found that our lives are getting incredibly busy with work, family and social commitments. It’s at these times we’re more likely to snap a response without thinking. Harsh words can leave a mark that’s hard to remove at any time.

There’s a great story we’ve used with our kids and thought you might like it too.

One day, a son screamed at his mum how much he hated her, and he wished she’d just go away forever. This wasn’t the first time he’d said something like this, and he usually apologised later… but the hurt was still there. 

So, she took him to the back yard and gave him a hammer and a bunch of nails. ‘Knock these into the fence for me,’ she said to him. ‘Not all the way in, just enough for them to stick.’

The boy loved the idea of this and quickly got to work. Once he was done, his mum asked him if he could get them all out again. He looked at her like she was crazy but still went ahead with the task.

Once he was done, his mum looked at him and said, ‘When you tell me that you hate me, or that you want me to go away forever, it’s like you’ve hammered a nail into me. When you apologise, you take the nail out again, but there’s still little holes left by the hurt you’ve caused. Do you understand what I’m trying to tell you?’

He nodded, gave her a hug, and they went back inside to have dinner.

We all say things we don’t mean at times. The apology afterwards is important, but it’s always going to be better to take a minute before you speak to prevent any hurt it may cause.

What on earth does this have to do with business?

We CAN’T be the only people who have shot off an email at work when frustrated and immediately regretted it. We’re all human, and we all do it. 

The best thing we can suggest is, write your email, put it in drafts and read it later to make sure it’s something you really want to send.  Editing is quite literally one of the most important business skills you can develop!

And just generally, be kind out there everyone. We all need a little extra kindness right now.