Written by: Vickie Sullivan | May 02, 2019
How to Describe Your Work to Strangers
I recently returned from a fabulous culture tour through northern Spain. During that trip, I learned a great lesson about the expectations our words can set up and the disappointment that can result when you don’t live up to those expectations.
The backstory: The association outsourced the details of the trip to a “premium travel” agency that offered an “unforgettable” experience. This set up a strong mental picture for us experienced travelers – images of having every detail taken care of, the best of everything, etc. – very high expectations.
So, when rookie-level snafus occurred, disappointment was an understatement. Reaction was swift and vocal, especially when a two-hour delay resulted in a cancelled wine tour. (I thought a riot would break out.) The consensus: This trip was not “premium” as was advertised. Our reactions were based on our expectations, which are based on how the agency described the itinerary. Word choice matters.
Listen: Two Things You Must Convey to People Who Don’t Know You
When networking or using social media, we all want to use colorful language that shows how cool/influential we are. Fair enough. But we also need to be aware of the mental picture this articulation conjures up with those who don’t know us well. Our words can set up expectations that we don’t know exist.
The unfortunate result: The association was flooded with complaints. The person promoting this agency to her peers has some explaining to do. And the agency probably won’t understand the strong reaction. No winners here.
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