ProTalk: Are Your Words Toxic?
By Rick Welling, USAREC, Doctrine Division
July 17, 2015
“The views of men can only be known, or guessed at, by their words or actions.”
-- GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to Patrick Henry, January 15, 1799
Using toxic words is one of the quickest ways to turn off Army prospects, because they trigger suspicion, mistrust and loss of respect.
Ironically, traditional recruiting techniques created to build trust and rapport contain several toxic words. Chances are you’re inadvertently sabotaging interviews by using these toxic words. How many do you use every day without realizing it? Let us explore these words and phrases.
Recruiters already have a bad reputation of being compared to used car salesmen. We know this perception perpetuates from Hollywood and those distraught recruits who don’t like the MOS they selected, or found Army life isn’t for them. Do not allow your vocabulary to get the best of you.
Interested
“Interested” is word recruiters use when they do not want to hear "No." Interested is the word prospects use when they do not want to say "Yes." There is no commitment in interest.
People are interested in all sorts of things: Information to pay for college, sports results, how to make more money, world travel, etc. Interested people enjoy gathering information. That does not mean they intend to join the Army or do anything more than surf the internet in an attempt to find a satisfaction for their interest addiction.
A highly motivated prospect is not merely interested. They need, want, and are qualified to join the Army, now. Do not waste a lot of time with prospects who are interested, but not qualified, to join within a two-week period.
Help
Teachers, nurses, and social workers, among others, are in helping professions. Military recruiters are not. They provide new personnel for the United States Armed Forces. Prospects know this. When you claim to be there merely to "help" the prospect, you can instill doubt and suspicion.
You overcome this doubt and suspicion through candor and professionalism. Being honest and forthright about your intentions allows you to establish trust and build rapport with the prospect. This can help the prospect drop barriers and recognize the Army can help them. The institution of the Army helps, not the recruiter. Recruiters do however, get to enjoy the positive effects of watching a civilian transition to a Soldier.
"Honestly" or "To tell you the truth" or “To be honest with you”
What happens when you say "To be honest with you..."? You provoke this thought; "Oh, so now you going to be honest... was the rest all lies and falsehoods?"
In recruiting, trust, respect, and credibility are fundamental to your relationship with prospects, applicants, and Future Soldiers. Being consistently upfront or forthright is not just "the best policy," it is crucial to being a successful recruiter.
Just
"I just wanted to let you know..." or "Just fifteen minutes of your time." What does the word "just" imply in recruiting? You seem to be trivializing your communication in order to disarm the prospect. You are minimizing the importance of an enlistment or career in the Army and your own time. If someone truly wants to explore their enlistment options or career, it is an important priority for them. Do not trivialize yourself or your prospects' needs.
Thank you
"Thank you" is one of the most over-used, abused phrases and rendered meaningless by recruiters. While gratitude in a business situation warrants occasional use, there is no need to thank prospects for their time and attention. If someone truly wants the information you can provide, and he or she wants, desires, and is qualified to join, and wants to talk to you, they want to join. Repeatedly thanking prospects implies a subservient, begging, position, which will cause a loss of respect for you. It is a great way to sabotage your recruiting effort.
Great! Super! Awesome! Outstanding! Hooah!
The prospect calls your office and says he wants to discuss joining the Army, and you say, "Great!" Alternatively, a prospect stops by your office telling you she recently finished nursing school and now wants to serve her country as a nurse, and you respond, "Hooah!"
These words can make you sound desperate, or perhaps have a warped sense of values. The prospect is bound to wonder, "Is it ‘hooah’ or ‘great’ because you rarely get those types of reactions?" Or maybe you equate getting an enlistment or commission with having a baby or ending a war.
If you are a professional recruiter, watch your one word enthusiastic responses to positive situations. Perhaps you can expound on your one word answer – “Great, I am here to discuss your options with you.” Most civilians have no clue what “Hooah!” even means to a Soldier.
Look over these toxic words and phrases. You will notice a couple of themes: phoniness and a subservient and/or begging posture. If you perceive someone to be insincere and phony, do you want to do business with him or her? If someone grovels toward you, what is your immediate reaction?
A recruiters vocabulary is full of many military words and phrases that civilians don’t know the meaning of and can’t translate to their vocabulary. You need to make sure you do not say something that could be misconstrued by a prospect.
People want to do business with people they can trust and respect. The words you choose can arouse suspicion, or they can reflect a posture of trust and respect. Think about your words and choose your words carefully!
By Rick Welling, USAREC, Doctrine Division
July 17, 2015
“The views of men can only be known, or guessed at, by their words or actions.”
-- GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to Patrick Henry, January 15, 1799
Using toxic words is one of the quickest ways to turn off Army prospects, because they trigger suspicion, mistrust and loss of respect.
Ironically, traditional recruiting techniques created to build trust and rapport contain several toxic words. Chances are you’re inadvertently sabotaging interviews by using these toxic words. How many do you use every day without realizing it? Let us explore these words and phrases.
Recruiters already have a bad reputation of being compared to used car salesmen. We know this perception perpetuates from Hollywood and those distraught recruits who don’t like the MOS they selected, or found Army life isn’t for them. Do not allow your vocabulary to get the best of you.
Interested
“Interested” is word recruiters use when they do not want to hear "No." Interested is the word prospects use when they do not want to say "Yes." There is no commitment in interest.
People are interested in all sorts of things: Information to pay for college, sports results, how to make more money, world travel, etc. Interested people enjoy gathering information. That does not mean they intend to join the Army or do anything more than surf the internet in an attempt to find a satisfaction for their interest addiction.
A highly motivated prospect is not merely interested. They need, want, and are qualified to join the Army, now. Do not waste a lot of time with prospects who are interested, but not qualified, to join within a two-week period.
Help
Teachers, nurses, and social workers, among others, are in helping professions. Military recruiters are not. They provide new personnel for the United States Armed Forces. Prospects know this. When you claim to be there merely to "help" the prospect, you can instill doubt and suspicion.
You overcome this doubt and suspicion through candor and professionalism. Being honest and forthright about your intentions allows you to establish trust and build rapport with the prospect. This can help the prospect drop barriers and recognize the Army can help them. The institution of the Army helps, not the recruiter. Recruiters do however, get to enjoy the positive effects of watching a civilian transition to a Soldier.
"Honestly" or "To tell you the truth" or “To be honest with you”
What happens when you say "To be honest with you..."? You provoke this thought; "Oh, so now you going to be honest... was the rest all lies and falsehoods?"
In recruiting, trust, respect, and credibility are fundamental to your relationship with prospects, applicants, and Future Soldiers. Being consistently upfront or forthright is not just "the best policy," it is crucial to being a successful recruiter.
Just
"I just wanted to let you know..." or "Just fifteen minutes of your time." What does the word "just" imply in recruiting? You seem to be trivializing your communication in order to disarm the prospect. You are minimizing the importance of an enlistment or career in the Army and your own time. If someone truly wants to explore their enlistment options or career, it is an important priority for them. Do not trivialize yourself or your prospects' needs.
Thank you
"Thank you" is one of the most over-used, abused phrases and rendered meaningless by recruiters. While gratitude in a business situation warrants occasional use, there is no need to thank prospects for their time and attention. If someone truly wants the information you can provide, and he or she wants, desires, and is qualified to join, and wants to talk to you, they want to join. Repeatedly thanking prospects implies a subservient, begging, position, which will cause a loss of respect for you. It is a great way to sabotage your recruiting effort.
Great! Super! Awesome! Outstanding! Hooah!
The prospect calls your office and says he wants to discuss joining the Army, and you say, "Great!" Alternatively, a prospect stops by your office telling you she recently finished nursing school and now wants to serve her country as a nurse, and you respond, "Hooah!"
These words can make you sound desperate, or perhaps have a warped sense of values. The prospect is bound to wonder, "Is it ‘hooah’ or ‘great’ because you rarely get those types of reactions?" Or maybe you equate getting an enlistment or commission with having a baby or ending a war.
If you are a professional recruiter, watch your one word enthusiastic responses to positive situations. Perhaps you can expound on your one word answer – “Great, I am here to discuss your options with you.” Most civilians have no clue what “Hooah!” even means to a Soldier.
Look over these toxic words and phrases. You will notice a couple of themes: phoniness and a subservient and/or begging posture. If you perceive someone to be insincere and phony, do you want to do business with him or her? If someone grovels toward you, what is your immediate reaction?
A recruiters vocabulary is full of many military words and phrases that civilians don’t know the meaning of and can’t translate to their vocabulary. You need to make sure you do not say something that could be misconstrued by a prospect.
People want to do business with people they can trust and respect. The words you choose can arouse suspicion, or they can reflect a posture of trust and respect. Think about your words and choose your words carefully!