Page 98 - Hard Goals
P. 98

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            Reasonable request
            Constant attention
            Adequate amount
            Signifi cant result
            Possible guess


        If you’ve ever read a corporate goal-setting memo, I guarantee
        you’ve seen word pairs like this, if not these exact ones. Over
        and over again people set goals using abstract language. Then
        they look around bewildered as to why nobody remembers what
        they said. But the reason is that they are using language that is
        guaranteed not to be remembered.
            I’ve had the word choice conversation with a lot of CEOs.
        And while hundreds of them have gotten it, no problem, there
        are thousands more that failed to achieve “signifi cant results”
        on their goal-setting memos because they obtusely refused to
        give “constant attention” to this issue. See how easy it is to slip
        into that crappy abstract language without even noticing? It’s a
        disease. If you want goals that people (including yourself) will
        drip blood, sweat, and tears to achieve, you had better address
        your abstract word disease, and fast.
            So the next time you’re about to give a speech or have a
        conversation about goals, ask yourself this question: Could the
        people listening to me draw a picture of what I’m saying? Or
        even better, “Could a six-year-old draw a picture of what I’m
        saying?” Back to those earlier world-leader examples: my kids
        could easily draw a man on the moon, a former slave and a
        former slave owner sitting together, and a beautiful morning in
        America. Can the same be said of your goals?
            Why are concrete words so much better, the scientifi c types
        out there are no doubt asking. Paivio’s argument (formally
        known as dual-coding theory) is that concrete words get access
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