Seven Words
The Seven Words jolt dramatically illustrates the principle of “It's not what you say, but how you say it” by demonstrating how the meaning of a sentence changes as different words are emphasized. It’s a great exercise to explore the impact of word stress on the meaning of sentences.
Instructions
Write a seven-word sentence, and practice saying that sentence repeatedly, emphasizing word at a time.
Ask participants to comment on the message they heard from the way you said the sentence, going beyond the literal meaning of the words; collect a few interpretations.
Example sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – I am not talking about other people. I am talking about me.
Say different versions of the sentence.
Ask the participants to listen carefully, saying the sentence again and again, emphasizing different words.
After each time you say the sentence, invite the participants to share their interpretation of the changed meaning.
Example second version of the sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – Many game designers feel the activity to be frustrating. However, I find it pleasant.
Example third version of the sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – There is something special about the act of creating a game.
Example fourth version of the sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – It is not only the act of designing that is enjoyable. There is another thing.
Example fifth version of the sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – I am not just an introverted designer. I also enjoy inviting the people to play the game and watching them.
Example sixth version of the sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – I am not into trivial fun games. I am serious games kind of guy who wants people to learn from the play.
Example seventh version of the sentence – I enjoy designing and conducting training games. Possible interpretation – I am not into boring training exercises. I want people to play interesting games.
Ask each participant to write a seven-word sentence. After a suitable pause, ask the participants to pair up. Ask them to take turns to share different versions of their sentences and appropriate interpretations.
Conduct a debriefing discussion by asking these types of questions –
The meaning of what you say changes depending on how you say it; what workplace examples do you have of this principle?
Do you feel that people frequently misunderstand what you say? Could it be the way you say it?
What precautions do you have when you communicate with others?
Key insight from this exercise – The meaning of what you say depends not only on the words but also on the tone, stress, emphasis, and intonation that you use. The tone of our voice carries the emotional aspects of what we say. We have to pay attention not only to what we say but how we say it.