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Accentuate the Positive

3/14/2007

2 Comments

 
Posted by BJ
More and more often these days the response I receive when I say “thank you” to someone is, “No problem.”

In our workshops, one of the writing tips we present is “Accentuate the Positive”. Within this we highlight that often times a statement will leave a negative impression.

A favorite example is a statement made repeatedly by a certain world leader (who shall remain nameless but you’ll know right away who I mean) as he attempted to defend himself. Each time he was confronted he would reply with, “I did not have relations with that woman.” As we point out, what the listener is likely to remember from such a statement is “relations, woman” or exactly the opposite of what this person hoped might be remembered.​
​Had Bill, uh, I mean… this person… used a positive statement such as, “I have always been faithful to my wife.” – the listener would likely remember “faithful, wife”.*

I think the same holds true with the, in my opinion all too common these days, response “not a problem”. What I’m left with here is “problem”. I immediately think, with some resentment/sarcasm (if thinking can be said to be sarcastic), “Glad to know my purchase didn’t cause you any problem.”

I much prefer and will continue to use the positive version and reply with, “my pleasure” to a “thank you” from someone**

————————--
*This is also referred to as “Pink Elephants”. The reader is likely to remember the one thing you’re hoping they won’t. An example of this is having someone tell you not to think about a pink elephant (usually describing in detail the elephant you shouldn’t be thinking about! You know, big, trunk, PINK, big ears, wrinkled, did I mention PINK?) Go ahead. See if you can not think about this pink elephant. I think you’ll find once the idea is put in your head, its likely the only thing you can think about, no matter how hard you trey not to think about it.

**And for those of you who might ask, “Now what does this have to do with proposals?” Well, besides the obvious piece that relates to the content you develop, what was your response the last time someone thanked you for doing a great job on a proposal?
2 Comments
Elizabeth Place
3/26/2016 05:30:12 am

I thought I was the only one! But I hadn’t focused on the word left dangling in the brain – ‘problem’. Rather, I’ve always been struck by the poor grammar, bad manners aspect of the ubiquitous offense.

I never knew how far good manners would take me in the business world. The simple response of ‘your welcome’ to a ‘thank you’ is recognized, appreciated and oddly enough can differentiate. Thanks mom, Mrs. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Baldridge, Catholic nuns everywhere and all you white gloved ladies who taught me how to communicate.

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The Proposal Guys - Jon and BJ's Proposal Blog
3/26/2016 05:30:21 am

[...] And the elevator sign is a scary example of negatively-focused writing that leaves the reader worried. Ever seen a proposal in which – for example – the proposed approach “reduces the risk of failure” (”hey, is this going to fail?”) rather than “helps to ensure the project’s success”. As BJ’s posted once before, you should always try to accentuate the positive. [...]

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