Remember to Keep Your Message Clear and Active

During a recent BNI meeting, Mary, the chapter president was reminding the group of the upcoming Visitor Day.  Unfortunately some of the phrases she used to remind the group included:

• Make sure you don't forget to invite visitors.
• Don't forget the upcoming membership drive.
• We can't fail if we keep inviting.

Taking a look at Mary's requests, I noticed the confusion that others sensed as well:

"Make sure you don't forget to invite visitors."
Registers as:
"Make sure you forget to invite visitors."

"Don't forget the upcoming membership drive."
Registers as:
"Do forget the upcoming membership drive."

"We can't fail if we keep inviting."
Registers as:
"We can fail if we keep inviting."

Her intention is to have visitors who will become new members.  Unfortunately using words like don't and can't weaken your message when it is just as easy, and so much more powerful, to make your point clearly.

When you eradicate the "(K)notty Words" - "not, don't, can't, won't, wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't, try, but, should"--your message will be stronger, more precise, and help you attract more of what you want. Re-Frame your thoughts and retrain your brain to use empowering words like can, do, will, would and could.

The results will astound you.

At the next meeting Mary rephrased her requests to strong reminders:

• Remember to invite visitors to every meeting
• Remember the membership drive extravaganza
• When we bring in six new members during the contest we will qualify for the grand prize drawing!

Now these once passive expressions have become imperative calls to action.