The power of words can change your life

We’re always saying that words can make and save companies money.

But they can impact on the less tangible stuff in our lives too (though I don’t want to come on too ‘Paul McKenna’).

For example, I was walking though Oval station this week. It’s a strange cocoon of a station, sheltering you from the elements and the bustle of the streets outside with classical music and rousing quotes.

On this occasion it was a quote written on the staff noticeboard that grabbed me. One of Tolstoy’s finest:

“Music is the shorthand for emotion”.

What a lovely thought, I thought.

And I sauntered merrily down the escalator toward the tube, briefly inspired and touched by Tolstoy’s insight. Shortly afterwards I found myself getting far too intimate with a man’s elbow on the tube.

But despite that, Tolstoy stayed with me. And even in business writing, there’s always an opportunity to cajole, to inspire and stir your reader. Take it.