The choice of words determines the first impression of the listener. The different terms that are available, vary around neutral meaning and go from very negative or repulsive, up to positive and attractive. Very quickly, you can make a mountain out of a molehill or the mentioned storm in the water glass can break out.
A good example is the term ‚problem‘. Originally derived from Greek, it means ‚appointed task‘. By choosing a certain word, the term receives additional attributes that present the facts in a neutral way and/or strengthen positively or negatively.
You want to charge the term negatively and frighten the listeners, then you should speak best of an annoyance, the critical impairments, insurmountable obstacles, critical hurdles, serious complication, long-term disadvantages, unnecessary hassle or unwanted incommodities. If you do not want to face a problem, load it with negative energy.
Example: The current predicament requires huge investments that will only pay off after a long period.
If the term should be formulated neutrally and, thus, do not deter, the following terms are recommended among others: Matter, case, condition, thing, circumstances, situation, facts, topic, procedure, and occurrence. You want to put something up for discussion without valuation.
Example: The current situation can be described as follows and we should consider how to deal with it.
In most cases, you want to put positive energy into the topic and motivate the listeners to commit themselves. For this purpose, you speak of diverse tasks, exciting questions, interesting subject matters, feasible homework, personal challenges, puzzling phenomena, tricky mysteries and unexplored area. Make the solution of the problem attractive for the listeners, by arousing their ambition.
Example: If we fill this blank area, we conquer together new markets.
Bottom line: As one calls into the canyon, so it echoes back. Do not wake unintentionally the resistance of your employees with an awkward wording. Use their ambitions, by using a positive representation of the problem.
