Power Talk: The Quick Way to Business Geekdom

Are You VERBing Enough? *Power-talk for the new millennium*

	Excellence is manifested in many ways. One of the most obvious ways is in our everyday communication with others. How we communicate, whether orally or in writing, speaks volumes about our own personal excellence or lack thereof.
Studies have shown that people whose speech is powerful and forceful command more respect. And it's not what you say that matters; it's how you say it. Contrary to what some communication stick-in-the-muds might believe, you don't always have to say what you mean, or mean what you say — what's important is that your every utterance carries the force of what passes for conviction. The good news is that powerful speakers are made, not born. Power-talk is an art as well as a science, and it can be learned. There are lots of little tricks and techniques to this artful science, but one of the most important is to pay attention to current conversational trends and make them your own. In this regard, if the fast track to powerful speech can be summed up in one word, that word these days is: VERBING. Why verbing? Well, beyond the sheer glamour of the sport, there's at least one practical reason: verbing saves time. Nobody seems to have enough time today, so the briefer we can make our communications - voice-mail, e-mail or those low-tech, obsolescent "real-time" interactions — the more we can accomplish in a day. Verbing is easy, and works on the basic concept that any noun can be turned into a verb. Of course English has always been a flexible language, but now all the stops have been pulled out — words that once would never have been used as anything but nouns have been freed of those atavistic restrictions. For example, it is now perfectly acceptable, and in some circles mandatory, to use the word "office" as a verb, e.g., "We office at home." In fact, officing at home has become quite the rage among those who have been rightsized out of companies that are now busily restocking their employment rolls with newly degreed econoworkers. Even if you don't actually job in your home office (and secretly fear you are just one or two unemployment checks away from being a dorky "associate" in a Wal-Mart commercial), as long as you have a computer, email and Internet access, and business cards you made all by yourself on your pre-printed PaperDirect® card stock, you can say, "I office at home!" with your head held high. Now, for those of you who still office at a real jobsite, there's more good news, verbing-wise. If, in the course of your jobbing day, you're in the habit of... sleeping in the nude in the new employee Nap Lounge picking your nose, burping, and scratching your genitals during weekly management meetings drinking directly from the communal orange juice bottle in the employee refrigerator, and putting empty ice trays back into the freezer scarfing food from other people's lunch bags sexing with a co-worker on a table in the employee lunch room... you are entitled to declare, "I home at the office." Whence verbing...and how can one get started? Experts have different opinions on the origins of the verbing trend, but most agree that it started in the late sixties when "parent" became a verb, and picked up momentum in the seventies when Shere Hite single-handedly performed the same transformation on the word "orgasm." In the eighties, "impact" was liberated from its noun-only status, and the process seemed to accelerate after that. So how can you best incorporate verbing techniques into your own speech? Simply seek out the opportunities; they're everywhere. For example, don't merely declare that you "office" in the Uptown area; you "desk" in a plush corner space, and you spend your days "conferencing" with your co-workers. It's all a part of the "careering" process. See how easy it is? Remember, too, that many words that can be transformed into a verb can also be used as an adjective ("That's a very impactful story") or an adverb ("He touched her incestfully.") Never overlook opportunities to liberate words from restrictive usages. It's equally important to incorporate verbing techniques into your written communications, and fortunately, technology is on your side here. A new software package, Verb-Awe-Sity ®, works within your word processor to evaluate your writing for verb usage. Similar to a grammar checker, it offers suggestions to invigorate your prose. A single keystroke can transform bland, traditionalist writing into power-packed, verbful copy that will make people sit up and take notice. Verb-Awe-Sity is available exclusively through this publication for only $750.00. The package even includes an instructional video on Power Hand Gestures and Power Facial Expressions. With all this, it's more than worth the price. Get out there and verb the world; there's no excuse not to anymore. *Copyright © 1997 by Connie L. Schmidt* Adapted from the book, *Cosmic Relief: Honoring & Celebrating the Global Paradigm Shaft*

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