About Rhetoric in Business: Words as “Salespeople” or “Killers”

“I came, I saw, I conquered.”“Nothing is more constant than change.” “To be or not to be.” “I have a dream.” “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “Let’s build a Welfare State”…

Heard these before? Sound familiar? Most likely yes—and that’s no surprise. These weren’t just empty words or powerful political speeches. On the contrary—these statements convinced, influenced, motivated. But how does a fragment of history become part of our present?How do seemingly simple words turn into powerful, unforgettable phrases?

The answer is simple: rhetoric.

Rhetoric—or eloquence—is the energy of the speaker’s intellect, spirit, and emotions used to persuade the audience. As the art of persuasion, rhetoric has three main goals: to influence the mind, the will, and the emotions of listeners. These three goals led to the formation of rhetoric’s three interconnected functions: to affect reason, intention, and emotion. Based on this, Plato said:

“Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds and hearts of men.”

Rhetoric surrounds us. It’s everywhere: on TV, social media, the press…

But how much rhetoric is in our sales messages? How often do we reflect on this?How often do we think about the words and phrases we use in speech? How much attention do we give to conscious word selection, to conscious speaking? Speaking that differs entirely from the unconscious chatter we’re so used to.

Language is an instrument of human consciousness.And for that reason, words carry special power.

Business is Dialogue, and Dialogue is Made of Words

Our words spark reactions. Reactions create emotions. And emotions are our life.

Experts say 90% of our decisions are driven by emotion. In other words, we act impulsively—then try to rationalize our choices.

The words we say to clients will not only be associated with us personally, but also with our product/service and our company.

In business, as in life—what matters most is how people feel with us.

Especially now—during a time of crisis or pandemic—when people are hypersensitive, every word takes on an almost magical power. (And let’s remember—magic can be white or black.)

A person can change their behavior… But a word—once spoken—can never be taken back.

Just a few words can change a person’s life: They shake up limiting beliefs and allow people to see new alternatives or possibilities. The right words at the right time can lead to significant positive results.

But the opposite is also true: The wrong words, said at the wrong time, can deeply hurt someone, limit their potential, and close off valuable opportunities.

Words Are Energy

Negative words are word “killers”:Pointless, Failure, Hatred, Fearful, Danger, Problem, Lonely, Vulnerable, Stress, Mistake, Catastrophic, Stupid—These words carry negative energy. They pollute the environment.They cause an emotional and even ecological disaster.

(Because words are matter—what we say, sooner or later, becomes reality.Not long ago, people kept saying how everything was moving too fast, how they wanted to slow down, etc.Well… now we have exactly that.)

Thankfully, there are also “sales words”—words that radiate positive energy and create emotion:Trust, Guarantee, Safe, Authentic, Collaboration, Savings, Now, Wonderful, Simple, Easy, Unique, Advantage, Exclusive, Best, New, Imagine…

When you listen to another person, hear their words, and see the consequences—you begin to understand that the phrase

“…and the Word became flesh…”means something very real and concrete.Words initiate action.

So before your next client sales meeting, ask yourself:

• What will be the topic of my talk?

• What problem will I address?

• How will I speak about it – what words will I use?

• What solution will I propose – and what actions will I encourage?

• What’s the one thing I want the client to remember from my message?

The words we say are one of the cheapest, yet most powerful and profitable tools we have.They’re always within reach—and fully under our control.

And Finally – Socrates and the Three Sieves of Speech

A brilliant example of conscious speech and careful word selection was left to us by Socrates:

One day, a man approached Socrates and asked:

— Do you know what your friend said about you?

— Wait, — Socrates interrupted him. — Before you tell me anything, let’s filter it through three sieves.

— Three sieves?

— Yes. Before saying anything, it must pass through three filters.The first is the sieve of truth.Are you sure that what you're about to say is true?

— No, I just heard it.

— So you don’t know if it’s true. Let’s try the second sieve – the sieve of kindness. Do you want to say something good about my friend?

— No, quite the opposite.

— So, — Socrates continued, — you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you don’t know if it’s true. Let’s try the third sieve – the sieve of usefulness. Is it really necessary for me to hear what you're about to say?

— No, not really.

— So, — Socrates concluded, — what you want to say is neither true, nor kind, nor useful. Why say it at all?

So: What words are we saying to each other? With our words—are we healing? Or are we hurting?