Embrace the Verb 

I was listening to Chris Evans the other day and I caught the end of him explaining that as a nation, we use too many Nouns: words that name people, places, THINGS.

Where we should be using more Verbs: words to describe an ACTION, a state of being, or an occurrence. 

And it got me thinking about how true this is in business...

If we STOPPED talking about things and started using language that describes ACTION.

Don’t get me wrong, nouns like "profit," "revenue," "budget," and "investment" are crucial in business, but imagine if we made a conscious effort to use more verbs in our everyday lives to create a mindset and culture of doing and action.

Verbs like:

Reach: goals, targets, milestones, decisions...

Generate: ideas, profit, awareness...

Earn: respect, trust, reputation...

Gain: insight, knowledge, confidence...

And Verbs like embrace, delegate, challenge, complete, dismiss, own, clarify, succeed...

Not only will this help everyone within your business, using this language to communicate will help you attract new talent and grab the attention of your prospects you’re speaking directly to.  

Take Skoda as an example; this summer they promoted their updated range of SUVs by championing a new word – Familying:  It’s a word that captures the highs, lows, twists and turns that happen when you step out into the world with your loved ones”.

It's not about the functionality or features of their SUVs, it’s about the reality of driving a family and showing what their cars are actually used for day-to-day and turning everyday car rides into adventures “worth cherishing”.

I even saw CarFest using the headline: Are you ready for a bit of Familying at CarFest this summer?  Celebrate familying with Škoda at The Explore-More Stage!

This week, think about the language you use and project across your business, communications, and marketing, and how you can make a Mindshift to create a culture that takes action.

BW,

Martin

Martin Norbury

Investor | Business Mentor at Advocate | Author of I don’t work Fridays