Verbal Escalators In Work and Life

Editors Corner | The CEO Show | The CEO Magazine

Verbal Escalators In Work and Life

The art of wordsmithing the “VERBAL ESCALATORS”:

Verbal Escalators are words that escalate your communication to create a magnified impact on the listner. These are words that have the capacity to capture popular imagination with an intense “grab value”. These words can change minds and drive people to action. In fact, often these words twist the existing concept in a creative way to reprogram thinking. They exhibit intense clarity of purpose and can take people and organization to the next level by singularly mobilizing all on any given purpose. It should be a capability every marketing and sales person must possess. For example, "India Shining" captures a feeling like no other in India; "Contract with America" was the fuel that fired up the 1994 Republican Campaign; "Trust But Verify" used by Ronald Regan still goes on… there are many others…not so well known ones but once explained they get stuck in the listener's mind, occupying prime real estate of the mind of your listner.


The above examples of verbal escalators have become catch-phrases that are recognized and used by people across geographical boundaries and generations. But there use is not restricted for lofty purposes that drive entire nations and business corporations. Anyone can come up with effective “verbal escalators” that would carry special meaning for a select group of people. One can create specific phrases for one’s family, employees and colleagues and use them to mobilize them instantly and effectively. All it needs is a reasonably good understanding of the target group, and some creative thinking. So make up a few that you feel strongly about and see how it affects people you need to manage.