Improving Communication by Avoiding Negative Statements
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 10:42 am
Despite what you may have seen and heard, being able to write and speak effectively doesn’t mean avoiding adjectives like thorns on a rose. Adjectives can be an effective way to flesh out and emphasize concepts in everything from emails and posts to speeches and chats, but they need to be chosen and used strategically to be compelling rather than meaningless.
But leaders also benefit greatly from insight when it comes to avoiding what are called negative statements—adjectives so general and vague that they have little or no impact. You see key features of paytm them all the time in executive speeches, emails, posts, and videos in which they explain how great an idea is, talk about the incredible impact it will have, and praise the very good thinking behind the project.
These words sound useful, but how effective are they? A deep fryer may be great, a mop may be amazing, and a tuna melt may be delicious. Of course, you don't have to use the same word to describe a breakthrough business idea as you would a sandwich.
Compare these two sets of adjectives:
Group 1
Important
Great
Amazing
Amazing
Great
Group 2
Urgent
Profitable
Effective
Unprecedented
Life Saving
The negative adjectives in Group 1 are almost meaningless compared to the adjectives in Group 2. When we call something wonderful or very good, it gives little indication of scale, reason, or specific meaning.
Below are some examples of negative language (without using the word) that is often used as a cliché by tech companies when describing their products. A marketer is always happy to announce a product that is innovative, cutting-edge, and of course, industry-leading - but when it comes to showing versus telling, most marketing writers - both in publishing and business - don't know the difference.
So why use negative language? Because it's quicker and easier than searching for specific words and phrases. To turn negative feedback into actionable responses, you need to ask and answer WHY - what positive impact is the offer or sentiment intended to have?
Words like fun, great, good, and even interesting are negative evaluations that, if used. How can you improve the use of an adjective in a sentence like this:
This process is magnificent.
To a more expressive sentence like this:
This more efficient process will allow you to develop more engaging campaigns more often. This evolution is more than just adding specifics and more words.
Techniques that will help you make full use of adjectives:
1. Avoid negative expressions.
Negatives are such general adjectives that they have little or no impact. Examples include great, amazing, incredible, and awesome. But you could say that negatives mean very little because most of them could adequately describe a breakthrough business idea or a tuna sandwich.
It's better to replace negative statements with specific words and phrases that get to the point of the sentence by asking: Why is it great? What makes it awesome? and insert the answers to those questions, then remove the negative evaluation. For example:
Option 1: The presentation was amazing.
Why was she amazing?
She caught my attention and taught me how to better prioritize my responsibilities.
Version 2: The engaging presentation was great because it taught me to better prioritize my responsibilities.
Version 3 without negative rating: The engaging presentation taught me to better prioritize my responsibilities.
2. Do not highlight adjectives.
You can create a relationship by placing adjectives directly before the nouns they modify, rather than isolating them. For example:
Isolated Adjective: This concept is very creative.
Supported Adjective: This is a very creative concept.
Highlighted adjective: This campaign was effective.
Supported Adjective: This was one of the most effective campaigns.
The updated versions are more effective means of communication because they emphasize the single concept of an effective campaign rather than the separate term effective.
3. Always indicate why.
One way to answer this all-important why in professional communications is to begin your sentence with an adjective-subject combination and end it with the important why conclusion:
This creative concept will help attract key audiences from the millennial generation.
- This effective campaign helped double revenue in the second quarter.
These are strengths because they include a defining adjective, a compelling topic, and a valuable explanation why.
4. Analyze your answers.
While the right adjective can improve communication, too many adjectives can ruin it. Remember that the simpler the message, the easier it will be to understand, so it is best to use as few words as possible, including adjectives.
Conclusion
An effective way to reduce redundant adjectives is and. Pay attention to the word and in the message and decide if multiple words or points of contact are really needed, knowing that less is more... and more is less.
But leaders also benefit greatly from insight when it comes to avoiding what are called negative statements—adjectives so general and vague that they have little or no impact. You see key features of paytm them all the time in executive speeches, emails, posts, and videos in which they explain how great an idea is, talk about the incredible impact it will have, and praise the very good thinking behind the project.
These words sound useful, but how effective are they? A deep fryer may be great, a mop may be amazing, and a tuna melt may be delicious. Of course, you don't have to use the same word to describe a breakthrough business idea as you would a sandwich.
Compare these two sets of adjectives:
Group 1
Important
Great
Amazing
Amazing
Great
Group 2
Urgent
Profitable
Effective
Unprecedented
Life Saving
The negative adjectives in Group 1 are almost meaningless compared to the adjectives in Group 2. When we call something wonderful or very good, it gives little indication of scale, reason, or specific meaning.
Below are some examples of negative language (without using the word) that is often used as a cliché by tech companies when describing their products. A marketer is always happy to announce a product that is innovative, cutting-edge, and of course, industry-leading - but when it comes to showing versus telling, most marketing writers - both in publishing and business - don't know the difference.
So why use negative language? Because it's quicker and easier than searching for specific words and phrases. To turn negative feedback into actionable responses, you need to ask and answer WHY - what positive impact is the offer or sentiment intended to have?
Words like fun, great, good, and even interesting are negative evaluations that, if used. How can you improve the use of an adjective in a sentence like this:
This process is magnificent.
To a more expressive sentence like this:
This more efficient process will allow you to develop more engaging campaigns more often. This evolution is more than just adding specifics and more words.
Techniques that will help you make full use of adjectives:
1. Avoid negative expressions.
Negatives are such general adjectives that they have little or no impact. Examples include great, amazing, incredible, and awesome. But you could say that negatives mean very little because most of them could adequately describe a breakthrough business idea or a tuna sandwich.
It's better to replace negative statements with specific words and phrases that get to the point of the sentence by asking: Why is it great? What makes it awesome? and insert the answers to those questions, then remove the negative evaluation. For example:
Option 1: The presentation was amazing.
Why was she amazing?
She caught my attention and taught me how to better prioritize my responsibilities.
Version 2: The engaging presentation was great because it taught me to better prioritize my responsibilities.
Version 3 without negative rating: The engaging presentation taught me to better prioritize my responsibilities.
2. Do not highlight adjectives.
You can create a relationship by placing adjectives directly before the nouns they modify, rather than isolating them. For example:
Isolated Adjective: This concept is very creative.
Supported Adjective: This is a very creative concept.
Highlighted adjective: This campaign was effective.
Supported Adjective: This was one of the most effective campaigns.
The updated versions are more effective means of communication because they emphasize the single concept of an effective campaign rather than the separate term effective.
3. Always indicate why.
One way to answer this all-important why in professional communications is to begin your sentence with an adjective-subject combination and end it with the important why conclusion:
This creative concept will help attract key audiences from the millennial generation.
- This effective campaign helped double revenue in the second quarter.
These are strengths because they include a defining adjective, a compelling topic, and a valuable explanation why.
4. Analyze your answers.
While the right adjective can improve communication, too many adjectives can ruin it. Remember that the simpler the message, the easier it will be to understand, so it is best to use as few words as possible, including adjectives.
Conclusion
An effective way to reduce redundant adjectives is and. Pay attention to the word and in the message and decide if multiple words or points of contact are really needed, knowing that less is more... and more is less.