Blogging or Writing? The Nuances of Words

Ever since I was in grade school, I've enjoyed writing. It's something I've done for a living in one form or another since I graduated college. In my early career, people would ask what I do and I'd say "I'm a writer." People's immediate response would be, "What do you write for? Books? Magazines?" People would essentially ask about the medium for which I wrote. I can't say I noticed that until I became a blogger.

Nowadays, although I write for lots of different projects, I consider myself a blogger first and foremost. And when I say to people "I'm a blogger," their response is always "What do you blog about?" Notice, as a writer they asked about the medium and as a blogger they ask about the content. I find that to be really interesting.

With every word we speak or write, we convey a message. Sometimes people get that message loud and clear and sometimes they come to a completely different conclusion than we intended. Word choice is critical and each statement we make may have nuances we don't fully appreciate. But, we should learn to listen and adjust accordingly.

Think about the words you use and the reactions you get. Are the results what you expected? Does a slight variation yield a different outcome? Don't just send out your message and move on. Pay attention to the aftermath. Perhaps selecting another word will produce a sale or create an enemy. One word can be the difference between black and white.

Do you put thought into your word choice when you speak or write? Could you benefit from more thoughtful communication? Have you had something good turn bad based on a poorly worded phrase? Will you pay more attention to your words and the impact they have next time you communicate?