Are You Resonating, or Confusing? (60-Second Storytelling Tip #115)
Channel: Speaking CPR
Date: 2021-11-15

https://bit.ly/CPR20Intro

I know that this tip is going to sound nit-picky, but stay with me, there's a purpose. 

I was listening to a speaker the other day, and he said the phrase, "I resonate with that." Many people use this term, “resonate,” in this fashion, and it's bugged me for a while. 

I couldn't figure out why, so I looked up the definition, and sure enough, there it was, people have been using it improperly. People don't resonate with items, thoughts or ideas. They resonate with people. 

When somebody says, "Oh, that idea that resonates with me, or that political view resonates with me,” that's correct usage. People do not resonate with items. 

Again, it sounds nit-picky, but here's why you have to be careful when you're using phrases like this. If you misuse a word or a concept, some audience members are going to get stuck. I remember the speaker who incorrectly used “resonate,” I don't remember what he said after that because my mind went off on a tangent.

We have to be careful about the words we use and the statistics we share. One of my least favorites is the  often-shared concept that only 7% of communication is the words we use. 

Wrong. This has been proven to be a misquote of the original study.

Double and triple check all the facts you're sharing with audience and the way you use words. We’re each guilty of this, I have been as much as anyone. 

This is why we need feedback, to make sure that not confusing people. Don't let little items like this trip you up and cause people to miss out on the bigger message. 

In the next video, you'll hear about a couple of visual nit-picky items, which can also distract the audience.

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