I noticed something interesting in a news report the other day. I've been reading several books lately that have to do with how words influence us. The report was about how AT&T was found to be the worst cell phone carrier in the US. The official statement from AT&T is that they are "committed to getting better and better". Notice they didn't say they were committed to getting "better" but "better and better". If the official statement was simply that they were committed to getting just "better" that seems to carry with it an admission that they aren't very good. Two "betters", I suppose, is an attempt to imply that they are already actually quite good. Those marketing folks must have been hard at work on that phrasing....
The books I've been reading on the influence of words (might make good "holiday" gifts): Word Hero by Jay Heinrichs The Secret Life of Pronouns by James Pennebaker Words That Work by Frank Luntz Michael Michael A. Britt, Ph.D. [email protected] http://www.ThePsychFiles.com Twitter: mbritt --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=14916 or send a blank email to leave-14916-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
