How to Coach Yourself and Others Beware of Manipulation | Page 145

42. Using Euphemisms and Dysphemisms to disguise or promote one's agenda
Definitions (Wikipedia):
A euphemism is a generally innocuous word or expression used in place of one that may be found
offensive or suggest something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use
bland, inoffensive, and often misleading terms for things the user wishes to dissimulate or downplay.
Euphemisms are used for dissimulation, to refer to taboo topics (such as disability, sex, excretion, and
death) in a polite way, and to mask profanity.
The opposite of euphemism roughly equates to dysphemism.
Source:
Reasoning Skills Success in 20 Minutes a Day. Copyright © 2010 by LearningExpress, LLC.
http://www.education.com/study-help/article/word2/
Introduction
The words people use can have a powerful effect on their listeners. By choosing certain words instead
of others or by phrasing questions in a way that is meant to elicit a specific response, people may try to
influence your thoughts or actions. This lesson will show you how to recognize this kind of subtle
persuasion.
Your cousin likes to sky dive, mountain climb, and race cars. How would you describe him?
•Reckless
•Adventurous
•Free-spirited
As different as these words are, each one can be used to describe someone who engages in the above
activities. The word you choose, however, depends upon your opinion of these activities. Clearly, freespirited is the word with the most positive slant; adventurous is more or less neutral; and reckless is
negative. Your word choice will convey a particular image of your cousin—whether you intend it to or
not.
Words are powerful, and they can influence us without us even realizing it. That's because they carry at
least two layers of meaning: denotation and connotation. Denotation is a word's exact or dictionary
meaning. Connotation is the implied or suggested meaning, the emotional impact that the word carries.
For example, thin, slender, and lean all mean essentially the same thing—their denotation is the
same—but they have different connotations. Slender suggests a gracefulness that thin and lean do not.
Lean, on the other hand, suggests a hardness or scarcity that thin and slender do not.
Denotation: the dictionary meaning of a word
Connotation: the emotional impact or implied meaning of a word
Because words carry so much weight, advertisers, politicians, and anyone else who wants to convince
you to believe one thing or another choose their words carefully. By using subtle persuasion
techniques, they can often manipulate feelings and influence reactions so that viewers and listeners
don't realize they're being swayed. The best way to prevent this kind of influence is to be aware of
these techniques. If you can recognize them, they lose their power. It's like watching a magician on
stage once you already know the secret behind his tricks. You appreciate his art, but you're no longer
under his spell.

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