03.31.10 I just want to maybe say…

Qualifiers Don’t Work in Any Country.

I’ve just returned from London working with very switched-on executives in the banking world. What I noticed is they often used qualifiers throughout their negotiations.  Qualifiers are words that dilute and weaken the statement.  Subtly, you lose your listener’s confidence.  Here are some examples:

What I’d like to do today

I guess my concern would be…

I just wanted to go over…

What I am trying to show you …

I believe we have demonstrated…

I think the best thing to do is…

Make sure you know when you are qualifying a statement and when you are not. It will make what you are saying, and how you are being, more clear and compelling.