Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact

| Author: Phil M. Jones, 2017

What’s It All About?

Do you always use the right words? I thought I did... until a recent podcast with a public speaking coach quickly showed me I was wrong! She pointed out where I was falling back on unclear and confusing words. It got me thinking about how many miscommunications and missed opportunities in the workplace come from leaders choosing the wrong words with speaking with others. In Exactly What to Say, Phil Jones supplies tips for finding the “magic words” to help industry leaders improve their communications, strengthen their relationships, and find productive solutions through great dialogue.

Favorite Quote

“Magic words are sets of words that talk straight to the subconscious brain. The subconscious brain is a powerful tool in decision-making because it is preprogrammed through our conditioning to make decisions without overanalyzing them.”

Biggest Takeaway

“This might not be for you, but...”
“How open-minded are you?”
“How would you feel if...?”

These are just a few examples of the twenty-three phrases Phil Jones introduces in his book. By incorporating phrases like these into their workplace conversation, manufacturing leaders can guide their team members into meaningful, productive dialogue. In many cases, using “magic” phrases like these might even help leaders grow their own mindsets or find creative and unexpected solutions, as they might lead them into engaging dialogue with people with new, unique perspectives.

Bonus information

When you’re dealing with everyday issues on the manufacturing floors, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of every little word choice! But as Exactly What To Say shows, even minor changes can make a big difference. To learn more ways to improve your speaking, check out this podcast with public speaking expert Patricia Fripp.

Reviewed by: Trevor Blondeel, August 3, 2022

At Manufacturing Greatness, Trevor Blondeel works with manufacturers to connect the top to the shop floor. If you’re ready to improve your own organization, contact Trevor to learn how Manufacturing Greatness can help you build stronger leaders and develop a dynamic, high-performing workplace.

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Mindfulness Manufacturing

Our show is about providing listeners with real stories that come from a place of experience, transparency, and authenticity. Most importantly it’s about what we learn from these stories and applying Mindfulness in our everyday work and personal lives.
Our intention is to create an environment where people can learn through open honest discussions on how we apply Mindfulness. Although our experiences and stories come from time in a manufacturing environment hence the title “Mindfulness Manufacturing”, we still see our discussions and topics relatable to any organization or profession.

When a mistake occurs on the plant floor, your mind might jump to one question: who caused this issue, and should I write them up for their mistake? But there’s a more productive approach you could be taking—and in this episode of Mindfulness Manufacturing, guest Dr. Jake Mazulewicz breaks it all down!

With a background as a firefighter, EMT, and military paratrooper, Jake knows the challenges of high-hazard industries, and works with organizations to reduce errors and create safer, more reliable workplace environments. In this episode, Jake shares why you can’t procedularize everything, including the way you handle errors and accidents, and offers great insights and stories about how to use connection and curiosity to improve safety, address errors, and strengthen your organization.

3:35 – Procedures and policies are the work that is imagined, and on the floor is how the work actually gets done

4:19 – The work as-done is almost always radically different than the work as-imagined

5:20 – Even when you have standards and people show up wanting to do a good job, you can still see issues that need to be addressed

6:44 – There will always be areas that absolutely need to have procedures in place

8:02 – There are also adaptive jobs, which leans less into procedures and more intro troubleshooting and tacit human knowledge

10:56 – In an ideal environment, both mechanistic and adaptive models are used and respected and needed

12:11 – There are four levels, ranging from strict procedurals to looser guidelines that show what to do, but not how to do it

15:36 – Tacit knowledge gets shared through conversations

16:22 – A way to share important information is to have frontline experts record videos sharing their insights to problems, especially those that are not covered in procedures

19:44 – Through conversation and connection, more knowledge is shared

21:58 – Debriefing also plays a central role

23:45 – If you have strong discipline, you’ll find more freedom

25:31 – In most situations, errors are signals, not defects

27:07 – When an error occurs, be curious and find the deeper cause of the problem

Connect with Jake Mazulewicz

Find him on Linkedin

Visit his website