I signed up for some online account recently and one of the profile questions was “What’s your least favorite word?” I said “Really.” No, that wasn’t a statement, it’s my least favorite word.

We want to emphasize something, so we put ‘really’ in front of an adjective. “It’s really big.” “That was really fast.” “She’s really smart.”

Really?

Really big doesn’t mean anything. Big, by itself, is pretty good. But if big, by itself, doesn’t cut it, adding ‘really’ is just more of the same. It’s like those folks who try to ‘explain’ something by saying the same words again (except maybe slower, like that’s gonna help.)

Stretch yourself a little and say something genuinely descriptive. Be specific; seventy-three feet tall, or so tall I can’t reach the top. Faster than Steve McQueen; faster than I expected. Smarter than me; smarter than her teachers; smarter than you think.

Leave out the other weasel words, too. Don’t say “I think that blah blah blah”, declare your stand and take the flak. Forget ‘most’ and ‘few’ and ‘almost’ and words that leave you wiggle room, room to hedge.

Nobody cares if you think maybe it’s almost important.

Inspire passion, for or against, by saying something folks can sink their teeth into. Cause debate. Overstate your case once in a while, just to push someone into reacting.

Drop the weasel words. Speak your piece. Take a stand.

Tomorrow: Episode 5—Less Filling. More Shortening.