2. The Connection Between Success and Communications

Mountains of empirical evidence on two factors overwhelmingly account for the success of individuals in any field. Those two factors are verbal and networking skills.

Common sense and simple observation can be your laboratory. Just look at most of the successful people you know, have known, work with, or have worked for. Look at the people who ran or owned the organizations and firms for which you worked. Think about the people who owned and ran the vendor firms and organizations that serviced and supplied the firms and organizations for which you worked. What do most of these people have in common? The vast majority have bigger vocabularies and more extensive networks than you have. This primary reason likely explains why they are the business managers, leaders, and owners and the civic and social leaders.

It has long been known that successful executives do not have large useful vocabularies merely because of their position. Such a correlation is incorrect and does not properly explain cause and effect. In fact, the opposite is true. Successful executives (and successful people in other fields as well) are successful because their skills in vocabulary and networking give them tremendous help in advancing (Funk and Lewis, 1942, p. 3).

This guide is all about how power verbs can help make you a more effective communicator. Verbs are the catalysts of sentences. Verbs bring sentences to life. More to the point, the right action verbs bring your résumés, cover letters, speeches, presentations, networking contacts, sales plans, marketing plans, business and branding plans, and sales proposals to life. Frankly, the right power verbs can put a pop into all your interpersonal communications. The definitive source for the English language, the Oxford English Dictionary, states it this way:

It is a simple truth that in most sentences you should express action through verbs, just as you do when you speak. Yet in so many sentences the verbs are smothered; all their vitality trapped beneath heavy noun phrases based on the verbs themselves. (AskOxford.com, 2008)

Dull and uninteresting verbs make communications of any type similarly dull and uninteresting. On the other hand, properly chosen action-packed verbs electrify your communications; they draw your listeners and readers to your topic and point of view like magnets.

Power verbs are useful in many ways, but this book focuses on helping you understand how to use power verbs more effectively where they really count:

• In speeches, presentations, and executive briefings

• In everyday communications

• In business documents, such as memos, reports, and plans

• In toasts and impromptu comments

• In networking communications

No other convenient source has as complete a list of action verbs or as effective an explanation of usage. The power verbs in this book describe a proactive approach to some issue, problem, or need. (For example, she accelerated the strategic plan with her visionary thinking.)

However, some action verbs included here are not explicitly positive in their form (such as the verbs limited and composed), but they are included because they can show a proactive approach to cutting, stopping, halting, reversing, or limiting some negative issue or problem, or creating an alternative positive environment. (For example, she limited the costs of new product development.) Similarly, some contemporary words, idioms, and phrases, such as emailed and walk the walk, reflect the contemporary lexicon, regardless of whether they all pass the smell test of proper grammar.

Many action verbs in this compilation might appear to not fit the premise stated above: Power verbs such as cannibalize, bankrupt, disgrace, rape, and prevaricate certainly do not appear to be positive. However, this compilation is not just a collection of happy-sounding words—life doesn’t work that way. We live and work and communicate in a rough-and-tumble world. Our communications need to be fresh and crisp, yet they do not need to reflect street lingo or sound overwhelmingly “hip.” These power verbs are meant to help you inject spark and life into your communications and give your communications special impact.

Throughout the book, the power verbs are shown in the present tense with two inflected forms: verbs ending in –end and –in. However, as the examples throughout show, the tense in which you would use them depends on the circumstance and the situation.

The following chapters feature an alphabetical list of more than 500 power verbs, divided into broad categories of human knowledge to make finding the right word easier.

But although America is a diverse culture, English is still the language of business. Therefore, the action verbs in this guide and the pronunciation notes generally follow the Merriam–Webster pronunciation guidelines. However the author has added features not used by Merriam–Webster.

The present progressive tense describes an ongoing action that is happening at the same moment for which the action is being written. To form this tense, one uses am/is/are with the verb form ending in –ing.

Examples:

I am meeting with the others tomorrow.

The project management team is examining the stakeholder’s proposal.

The team members are researching ideation options.

She is happy.

Use the present tense to describe something that is true regardless of time.

Past progressive tense: Verbs showing SIMULTANEOUS ACTION

The past progressive tense that describes an action that was happening when another action occurred. To form this tense, use was/were with the verb form ending in –ing.

Examples:

The new project team was presenting its recent findings when the power went out.

Four team members were meeting with the sponsor when the news broke about the award.

Future progressive tense: Verbs showing FUTURE ACTION

The future progressive tense describes an action that is ongoing or continuous and one that will take place in the future. To form this, use will be or shall be with the verb form ending in –ing.

Examples:

Only one team member will be presenting during the annual meeting in June.

The clock is ticking, the band is playing.

When the progressive form is not used for continuing events, a dramatic style effect can be produced:

The clock ticks.

The band plays.

Present perfect progressive: Verbs showing PAST ACTION, CONTINUOUS ACTION, and POSSIBLY ONGOING ACTION

The present perfect progressive tense describes an action that began in the past, continues in the present, and might continue into the future. To form this tense, use has/have been and the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in –ing).

Example:

The project sponsor has been considering an increase in the budget.

Past perfect progressive: Verbs showing PAST ACTION and an ONGOING ACTION COMPLETED BEFORE SOME OTHER PAST ACTION

The past perfect progressive tense describes a past, ongoing action that was completed before some other past action. This tense is formed by using had been and the present perfect of the verb (the verb form ending in –ing).

Example:

Before the budget increase, the project team had been participating in many sponsor meetings.

Future perfect progressive: Verbs showing ONGOING ACTION OCCURRING BEFORE SOME SPECIFIED TIME

The future perfect progressive tense describes a future, ongoing action that will occur before some specified future time. This tense is formed by using will have been and the present participle of the verb (the verb form ending in –ing).

Example:

By the next fiscal year, the new product develop project team will have been researching and proposing more than 60 new product categories.

The following chapters display power verbs with the action verb, its pronunciation, up to two forms of the inflected verb (perfect and progressive), and several synonyms.

All verbs are listed in active form. Although there are effective and appropriate times and places for passive verbs (as in “Professor, I was robbed of an A grade!”), active voice is preferred because it is clear and concise and gets quickly to the point (as in “The professor gave Ron a B for the course”).

If you want to learn more about when and how to use active and passive verbs, get yourself a good grammar or style book.

Recognize an intransitive verb when you see one.

An intransitive verb has two characteristics. First, it is an action verb, expressing a doable activity such as arrive, go, lie, sneeze, sit, and die. Second, unlike a transitive verb, it does not have a direct object to receive the action.

Consider these examples of intransitive verbs:

Huffing and puffing, we arrived at the church with only seconds to spare.

arrived = intransitive verb

Jorge went to the campus cafe for a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup.

went = intransitive verb

To escape the midday heat, the dogs lie in the shade under our trees.

lie = intransitive verb

Around fresh ground pepper, Sheryl sneezes with violence.

sneezes = intransitive verb

In the early morning, Mom sits on the front porch to admire her beautiful flowers.

sits = intransitive verb

Flipped on its back, the roach that Dee dosed with pest repellent dies under the stove.

dies = intransitive verb