Semantics: To Lead or Mislead?

You often hear careless communicators attempt to rid themselves of responsibility for clarity with a comment such as “Well, we’re just arguing over semantics now” meaning “You’re getting picky—let’s drop the issue and move ahead.”

Semantics is no small matter. Is a “feisty” female manager powerful or amusing? Is a “hulk of a salesman” intimidating, forceful, or just big? Is an “adequate performance” worth a raise or does it need improvement?

Between denotative and connotative definitions, there’s a world of misinterpretation and swayed opinion. The denotation of a word is the dictionary definition. The connotation of a word is the associated meaning given in context and with culture.

Of great concern to social scientists and consultants who prepare assessments on a sundry of subjects is the use or misuse of a single word that can change the entire results of an opinion poll. Or a personality profile. Or a team-building chart. Or a managerial grid. Or a reference check.

Does the $22,000 invoice to the client represent a “price,” a “fee,” or an “investment”? Should the prospective buyer expect an “agreement,” an “opportunity,” or a “contract” in the mail? Is the line manager “strong,” “tenacious,” or “obstinate” about the measurements she wants to use in evaluating the results of the consultants brought in to solve a problem? Is the project management approach you’ve outlined for your new marketing program “satisfactory,” “adequate,” or “commendable” according to your manager? How was the seminar? “Quite good”? or “Not bad?”

And it’s not just the choice of a word or two that conveys entirely different conclusions. The sentence pattern, the formality or informality of the tone, the verb choice, or the context may turn a throw-away line into a major issue.

Don’t you get a completely different message from each of the following versions: “Robert is meeting with their lawyers this afternoon about the copyright issue.” “Their lawyers have asked to meet with Robert this afternoon about the copyright issue.” “A meeting has been scheduled between Robert and their lawyers this afternoon.” “Robert and their lawyers are getting together this afternoon to talk over the copyright issue.”

Who initiated the meeting? Is it formal or informal? Will the decision be official or not? Is Robert in trouble? Are the lawyers threatening legal action? Much of the interpretation comes from word choice.

Personal experience also affects interpretation of the denotative word. I grew up on a cotton farm in the south, where we defoliated crops for boll weevils and other vermin regularly. As a preteen driving across country with my family on vacation, someone pointed out the car window to a “flea market.” I glanced at the warehouse-looking structure, expecting to see a breeding lot for fleas.

When I use the phrase “storage facilities” in Houston, people most often interpret it to mean “oil tanks.” In Silicon Valley, they think of disk space.

Conclusions? If you prefer a neutral opinion—say, in preparing surveys, feedback sheets, assessments, audit reports, quizzes on product knowledge among your sales staff—select the denotative word or phrase. If you intend to lead others subtly to your way of thinking—say, in preparing status reports to your clients, proposals to bosses or buyers, references or goodwill letters about suppliers—select your words carefully.

Entire businesses have changed their employee titles because of the crucial importance of semantics to convey new management philosophy or newly acquired expertise by their staff: from “salespeople” to “account executives” to “consultants.”

Connotation controls. It’s your decision whether to lead or mislead. In either case, semantics is no small matter.

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© Dianna Booher, Booher Consultants, Inc.
Author of 42 books (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, Warner, and McGraw-Hill), Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence®, Your Signature Life®, Your Signature Work®, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence®. For more information on Dianna and her programs, visit www.diannabooher.com or contact her firm, Booher Consultants, Inc., at 800-342-6621.

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