A Tip for Tuesday – Talk Ain’t Cheap!

Think about Tiger Woods. What images come to mind?

Is it that red Nike shirt flapping in the wind as he won yet another golf tournament?

All those commercials featuring his mug and high-end brands?

Probably not.

For me, when I think about Tiger, I think about silence – and then that contrite look on his face as he “apologized” for his off-the-course escapades while his mother and non-profit organization watched from the wings.

Because here is the thing – silence AIN’T always golden, no matter what that commercial in movie theatres says.

And Dale Carnegie agrees with me. In Carnegie’s most recent book, How to Win Friends and Influence People in the Digital Age, his team discusses the negative effects that both silence in a situation as well as too much talk (blabber) can have on a situation or relationship.

So today’s tip, inspired by both a great communicator – Carnegie – and an awful one – Woods – is simple: Silence ain’t always golden, and talk shouldn’t be cheap.

Say what you mean.

Mean what you say.

Think before you speak.

Think before deciding not to.

People can spot a fake from a mile away.

Oh, and consider media training before speaking publicly – somehow, Tiger missed that memo too.