Speaking With Power

September 10, 2010

Interview with Meryl Runion, author of the book How to Use Power Phrases to Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, & Get What You Want

_______________

Mike Carruthers:
When you're talking to people, using the right phrases at the right time can make you a powerful communicator.

Meryl Runion:
One of my favorite power phrases is one that someone shared with me at a seminar I was teaching. It was a customer service situation and someone was being very hostile towards her.
 

Meryl Runion, Founder and CEO of Speak Strong and author of the book How to Use Power Phrases to Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, & Get What You Want…

Here's what she said: "I am very concerned about your problem and when you speak to me this way I find it difficult to focus on a solution." So she addressed the situation that sent the message to the customer that it was in his interest to speak with her in a more responsible manner.

Knowing how to disagree gracefully is important.

And what that means is that we can say, "OK, I can see how you can see it that way... I see you feel strongly about this... I don't blame you for being upset." Something that acknowledges their situation even though we know that there's more to the story. A lot of times if we can just acknowledge people, it calms them down enough that then they can be more rational and reasonable.

Often when you're dealing with someone who is upset, they need to talk.

And so one of my favorite phrases is simply, "Tell me more." If I can just say, "Tell me more", what happens is they open up and we get to a place where we can find resolution.