Life | Family | Work | Word Choices

14 Genuine Word Plays That Make You Sound Strong At Work And Others Don’t Know Why

I wish I had known these hacks earlier in life.

Photo by Emre Alırız

At 22, I was trying to raise some donations for a non profit. I was running into a situation. In a big company, I didn’t know who was the decision maker who can write the donation check. I ran into someone who was too proud to acknowledge to a young bee like me that they were not the final authority. I sensed that but was at a loss for words. An uncle of mine heard my predicament and suggested I use this sentence- “who, besides yourself, has the authority to release the funds?”

Gosh, that opened the flood gates.

Since then, I have been hooked. Strong yet subtle word plays do move mountains. I have a small yellow book where I note them. Here are few peppered with my personal experiences.

1. Replace sorry with thanks.

Zoom calls are a way of life. If you are not careful scheduling bio-breaks, you may have to move between meetings at breakneck speed.

Here is one example, you got delayed in an earlier zoom meeting and joined your next one 3 minutes late. Happens to most of us who thrive through zoom.