UNDERSTANDING LANGUAGE PATTERNS

Advanced Language Patterns Mastery

One of the surest and quickest ways to improve your professional and communication skill is to increase your knowledge and skill in the use of language and language patterns. Whether you want to increase your language ability to improve your daily relationships, increase your success with interventions, be more persuasive and influential in your occupation or just increase your everyday effectiveness; you can and will have to do it through the use of language.

It does not matter what you want to accomplish or avoid today; it is likely that you will use language in accomplishing it. So, no matter what you want to achieve or avoid, learning and making the language patterns, outlined in this workshop, available both at a conscious and an unconscious level will help you immensely. In fact, you may begin to make extensive changes through the use of only language patterns.

One side effect you will notice is that you will automatically begin to hear and change the language that has been limiting you and begin to use language to create new possibilities in all areas of your life.

Language patterns are one of the most pervasively useful areas of communication, because anytime you are speaking ‑ the words you are saying, and how you say them, make a tremendous difference. You will find that as you consciously incorporate the language patterns in this workshop into your daily life you will be able to make changes in all areas of your life.

Being in the business world, I have found language and language patterns extremely useful. There is one caution, I wish to address: when you use these powerful techniques, in business or other areas, you must keep in mind that both/all parties must benefit. Being concerned only about what you want and not what the other person wants is a sure way to end what could be a long-term relationship.

Anytime you are talking to someone, including yourself; it is relevant what words you use. Use language patterns to move yourself and others in a direction that results in a win-in situation.

Language is Much More Than Just Words

Please remember that language patterns are not only auditory they are also visual and kinesthetic. We really are talking about a full verbal and nonverbal experience. As we move our own experiences in the direction we want to move, we can notice how what we say and do matches the experience we want to have and make whatever changes are necessary to positively affect ourselves and others.

Intonation Patterns

Language patterns are made more effective through the use of total communication: both verbal and nonverbal. Studies show that communication is made up of 7% word content, 38% voice intonation (tone, tempo, speed, and timbre) and 55% physiological gestures. Therefore, the proper use of language patterns requires not only that the word syntax be perfect but that the language patterns be spoken with the appropriate nonverbal gestures and analog marking (marking some of the words in the communication by tonal shifts, tempo shift, body shifts, small gestures, spatial location, etc.).

The following diagram shows the intonation patterns of a question, statement, and command.

                                         Word = question

Word  --------  Word

Word  --------  Word         Word = statement

Word  --------  Word

                                          Word = command

One of the easiest ways to understand the use of intonation is through the practice and use of tag questions. Tag questions are questions that are used to turn the uncertainty of a question into the certainty of a statement or a command. Tag questions use word like: can you not?, isn't it?, hasn't it?, wasn't it?, aren't you?, aren't they?, can't you?, couldn't you?, doesn't it? don't you agree?, don't we?, shouldn't it?, wouldn't it?, won't it?, hasn't it?, isn't that right?, didn't it?, can you not think that? We use tag questions to invite people to share our certainty by using an intonation of a command or a statement.