Visual, Evocative Words to Emphasize Something

Here are two examples of articulate Americans using a vivid, evocative expression to emphasize something--examples which, I hope, will inspire the rest of us into similarly imaginative use of the language, especially when we are trying to break through the clutter.

• Earlier this month, a guest on the “Diane Rehm Show,” emphasizing how something was deeply embedded into an entity and could not possibly be separated or extricated, saying: “…it’s baked in the cake.”

• This past February, during a “Charlie Rose” interview, guest oncologist David Agus, author of the highly recommended book “The End of Illness,” saying “We are still in the early days of genetics therapy… to use Steve Jobs’s amazing analogy, it’s like jumping from lily pad to lily pad of molecular targeted therapies.” 

© Copyright 2012  V. J. Singal

Vocabulary Enhancement Words: New Edition of “Words of the Month”

The latest edition of “Words of the Month,” my free vocabulary enrichment feature, has been online for about ten days. The six featured words, all of which lie within the conversational vocabulary of America’s most articulate (as is the case with all of the words featured in my book, “The Articulate Professional-3^rd Edition”):

1. pusillanimous

2. progenitor

3. democratize

4. chafe

5. subterfuge

6. bête noire

My Answer to Yesterday’s Quick Quiz

To make sense of this post, you need to first read the previous one, which asks you to identify two things that the Morningstar analyst could have done to elevate his first impression even before he started speaking.

Answer: The first thing is he could have had a wide smile, what I humorously refer to as the “all-32 teeth-showing” smile. Why? Because a wide smile--with upper teeth clearly showing--conveys warmth and enthusiasm. Most people have an almost “visceral attraction” to others’ dental enamel.

The second step Mr. Hottovy could have taken to instantly convey a highly favorable first impression: Donning a high contrast attire since he has a high contrast face, thanks to his light complexion and black hair.

© Copyright 2012 V. J. Singal

Quick Quiz, This Time on How to Create a Better First Impression

The 21-second video clip below is from the opening moments of a recent PBS-Nightly Business Report interview with Morningstar’s highly regarded R.J. Hottovy.

Question for you: Identify two things that Mr. Hottovy, who is described on LinkedIn as a global director for research at the famed investment advice company, could have done to create a stronger, a more favorable first impression even before he started to speak in response to the interviewer’s first question.

This should be really easy if you’ve read some of my posts below or attended one of my seminars on the subject of how to create a highly favorable first impression.

Tune in to this blog tomorrow for the answer.

© Copyright 2012 V. J. Singal