Page 173 - Effective Communication Skills Mastery Bible 4 Books in 1 Boxset by Tuhovsky, Ian

Taking the two stages of working with metaphors into

account, I would ask them questions like: “Who is fighting

with whom here?”, “What are you fighting for?”, “How will

you know that you won the war?” and so on.

Knowing the answers, I would refer to searching for
solutions through some ideas that are still connected with the

metaphors of war or battle. I could also use more general

solutions: “Wouldn’t it be better if you buried the hatchet or

perhaps maybe even joined your forces at some point?”, “You

will never build a great empire focusing on fighting all the
time. Perhaps it would be better to put the entire focus in

development inside of the team?”

If you refer to a given problem like that, it’s almost

guaranteed you will be understood by the person who sees the

world in a certain way. You do not have to have extensive

knowledge or specific skills to give a good metaphoric
solution, as metaphors are usually simple.

Below you will find a list of some other metaphors which

are often used by people in conversations. Take a look at the

list to be able to notice them easier in conversations. In
addition, taking each of them into consideration, you can

practice what you have learned in this chapter:

I’m carrying a huge weight on my shoulders.

I have a feeling there is a big, thick wall in front of
me.

Someone cut my wings.

I am speechless.