The Power Of Communication

The Power of Communication

OPENING: THE POWER OF PERCEPTION

At the end of World War II the Allies sent a message to the Japanese demanding surrender. The Japanese responded with the word mokusatsu, which translates as either “to ignore” or “to withhold comment.”

It is said that the Japanese meant that they wished to withhold comment, to discuss and then decide. The Allies translated mokusatsu as the Japanese deciding to ignore the demand for surrender. The Allies therefore ended the war by dropping the atomic bomb and transforming the world we live in forever.

1. The message can never be more important than the messenger. If the messenger is evil, then the message is always compromised.

Proverbs 20:11 ``The character of even a child can be known by his acts-whether what he does is pure and right.’’

2. Think before you speak.

T is it: TRUE?

H is it: HELPFUL?

I is it: INSPIRING?

N is it: NECESSARY?

K is it: KIND?

Proverbs 18:13 He who gives an answer before he hears, It is folly and shame to him.

3. Careful and responsible answers to difficult questions will guide others' actions.

Proverbs 15:1, 2 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools’ spouts folly.

ABRACADABRA 

Words truly are magic. Remember every stage magician’s reveal? That word we all associate with magic? It is abracadabra. With the flick of a wrist or the twist of the wand, something appears or disappears.

The word abracadabra is said to have come from an Aramaic word which means “I create as I speak,” or, “It came to pass as it was spoken.”

4. Consider how the message will be perceived before you speak.

Proverbs 25:11-13 Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances. 12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear.13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest Is a faithful messenger to those who send him, For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

WISE MEN SPEAK BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY; FOOLS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING

5. Pray and listen, first to God then others.

Proverbs 12:13-15 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble.14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

PROVERBS 3:6 (THE MSG)

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

6. Remove destructive concepts from your communications and negative comments about others or venting comments.

Proverbs 16:27-30 A worthless man digs up evil,

While his words are like scorching fire.28 A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends.29 A man of violence entices his neighbor And leads him in a way that is not good.30 He who winks his eyes does so to devise perverse things; He who compresses his lips brings evil to pass.

Proverbs 16:24 (NIV)

24 Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

7. If you want a friend you have to be a friend first.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (KJV)

Proverbs 18:24 (MSG)

24 Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

"Help me to understand people more, even though I may be understood less.’’

-Francis of Assisi-

THE HIDDEN MESSAGES IN WATER 

In 2000,  the NYT bestselling book The Hidden Messages in Water by Japanese author Masaru Emoto explored the ability of words to directly affect the material world.

Emoto proposed that human consciousness can have an effect on the molecular structure of water. He believed that water was a “blueprint for our reality” and that emotional “energies” and “vibrations” could change the physical structure of water.

Emoto’s water crystal experiments consisted of exposing water in glasses to different words, pictures or music, and then freezing and examining the aesthetic properties of the resulting crystals with microscopic photography. Emoto claimed that water exposed to positive speech and thoughts would result in visually pleasing crystals being formed when that water was frozen, and that negative intention would yield “ugly” frozen crystal formations. He also believed that polluted water could be cleaned through prayer and positive visualization.

Even though Emoto’s work is widely considered pseudoscience, there is something very compelling about his hypothesis. Because the human body is said to be nearly 60% water,  if perhaps Emoto was on to something real, the words we use within our body may have a profound affect on our physical health and well-being.

Through more widely-accepted research in neuroscience, we do know now that our choice of words has a direct and immediate effect on our emotional response and makes our brains inclined to respond in specific ways. This is true whether we are reacting to spoken words delivered by someone else, or to the inner self-talk that we hear ourselves “saying” inside our heads.