We all have little sayings and expressions that we just pick up and start using seemingly out of nowhere. My girlfriend for instance has a strange habit of shouting ‘Literally!’ at me when she’s angry which ironically means literally nothing. My old housemate meanwhile went through a phrase of saying ‘shut your mov’ to people every two minutes which as you can imagine got pretty old pretty quickly. I myself went through a stage of saying ‘dude’ a lot which was unfortunate because I can’t really pull it off…
The point is that once you start using these expressions they can become ingrained into your routine and it can become difficult to stop saying them. So rather than just picking up irritating little expressions, how about adding things that will make you sound cooler, more confident and more in command of any given situation? All it will take is a little practice and then you’ll start sounding like a born natural leader without even trying. Here are some great phrases…
‘Give that here!’
Make sure this is said in an exasperated manner, as though they aren’t doing it right. This way you sound like you know something they don’t and are some kind of pro. Just don’t become a control freak…
‘I’ve dealt with it’ or ‘It’s taken care of’
This is phrase that can put someone at ease and show them that they should have faith in you, but that doesn’t require you to give any specific detail. It also makes you seem very calm when someone else is flapping and it’s only one word away from sounding like an awesome action hero (I’ve dealt with them).
‘I’ve got this’
This phrase is the same as the above but can be used to deal with more pressing matters rather than describing something in the past tense. When people are clamouring you step forward and say ‘I’ve got this’ – instant cool.
‘Welcome to my world’
This is a great world-weary and sardonic little expression to use when someone gets a taste of walking in your shoes. It also subtly suggests that you deal with the problem they’re going through every day.
‘Fascinating… ‘
As long as you can say this without sounding like an evil genius, then it will make you sound intelligent and engaged. It’s flattering for the person talking and all everyone else will be thinking is ‘what is he thinking… ?’.
‘Let me know if you need any help’
This will not only make you sound helpful, but also as though you know what you’re doing – both of which are desirable.
‘Everyone stay calm’
If you say this too often then it will just be annoying and presumptuous, but if you say it in a crisis then it can be genuinely helpful and make you seem cool and collected. You’ve just lost your biggest client and your team is stressed, you say ‘everyone stay calm’ and everyone will be swooning.
Finding Inspiration
These are just a few examples of phrases and words that will make you sound cool and commanding, there are many others that can work just as well. Try listening to someone you admire and see what phrases they use regularly – if you can integrate those phrases into your own speech then you might just find that some of their magic rubs off on you.
Another thing to consider is just using the odd quote every now and then. You might sound a bit pompous, but in the right context it can be inspiring and it will also suggest that you’re well read and interesting. ‘Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t – you’re right’.
It’s All in the Delivery
Finally remember that the key is in delivery. To make your phrases and quotes sound cool and impressive you need to deliver them confidently. Practice speaking more slowly as this will instantly make you sound more confident and intelligent, and try recording your voice and playing it back to yourself. Becoming more aware of what you really sound like is a great way to help improve your manner.