Words matter.
Michelle Obama
Communication showed up as a theme in the answers to a question I threw out during an Outdoor Industry Association workshop, ‘Who does leadership look like to you?’ True dat. If I had to make up a number that represented the percentage of influence that’s granted through all the various ways I communicate, I’d say…sixty percent. Maybe seventy-five. Or ninety. It’s a lot.
In this random series, I’ve brought up the ol’ conjunction ‘but.’ I’ve questioned the usage of ‘they.’ This week, I’m daring to challenge the word ‘sure.’
Interestingly, the definition of sure as an adjective boils down to a combo of confidence and certainty. Mine and my family’s weirdness aside, why then for us is it a non-answer? Katie gives me crap if I forget this and respond to a question of hers with that word. It’s a big deal for us.
The million-dollar question this week: Is it just me, or does my brother’s reply to my asking him if he has a pressure washer and would he mind bringing it over make him sound, well, not terribly excited to oblige?
