Second Impression

Are you standing out for the wrong reasons? Image consultant Drew Sisselman breaks down the common linguistic faux pas that may be driving your client nuts.

Drew Sisselman

October 9, 2008

H ow often have you encountered someone whose physical appearance is powerful, only for them to meet their untimely demise by opening their mouth (beauty queens not withstanding)? To make a second impression that doesn’t undo the first, here are some common linguistic faux pas:

•    My personal pet peeve – “Nucular” is not a word. The word is “nuclear.” Every president since Carter and members of the media have mispronounced it.

•    Learn the correct pronunciation of a person’s name before you introduce him or her. 

•    There’s that pesky perfect tense. Once upon a time we learned this. We have just forgotten it. “We had went” will shut them down every time.

•    When delivering a presentation, forgo the “um,” “you know” or “like” for silence to collect your thoughts and choose the appropriate word. The audience will wait, and even better, the silence will wake them up. 

•    The word “like” has two applications: to indicate affinity or make a comparison. Do not use it as a filler word or in reported speech. “He was like, ‘how are you?’ ” No. “He asked, ‘How are you?’”

•    Be mindful of redundancy when using acronyms or abbreviations. ATM machine? No, the M stands for machine.

•    Americans have gotten sloppy with -ing endings. Unless you are a native of the Caribbean, it’s pronounced, speaking, thinking, saying, not speakin’, thinkin’, sayin’.

•    “Have him to call me.” No. “Have him call me.” It’s a command; no infinitive needed.

•    Ecstatic is pronounced ekstatic, not estatic.

•    “My bad.” No, but your grammar is.

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Drew Sisselman is a local image consultant whose background includes design, linguistics and coaching. He provides individual sessions and corporate presentations and seminars on personal styling and speech development.  He can be reached at 404-484-0712 or info@drewsisselman.com.

© Yanik Chauvin | Dreamstime.com

This article was originally published in the August issue of Business to Business magazine.

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