Watch Your Metaphors

Make yourself aware of underlying metaphors in your communication. Metaphors can be very useful when you use them for elaboration of a topic. For example, we often speak about verbal arguments in terms of war metaphors. (Your claims are indefensible. He attacked every weak point in my argument. He shot down all of my arguments. If you use that strategy, he’ll wipe you out.) Metaphors structure much of our thinking and communication. But the metaphors we use can also limit us in subtle ways. If you always think of arguments in terms of war, you may miss out on the benefits of thinking of the situation differently, perhaps in terms of a game, or a dance.

You can also turn this metaphor-speak to your advantage. When trying to join a new group you can use the same metaphors they use to better “speak their language.” n