In his book, To Sell Is Human, Dan Pink talks about the power of rhyming words. Here’s a related concept, rooted in linguistic theory.
Over the years, I have written millions of words—delivered in books, articles, presentations, you name it. Most of them are lost to time. Good words, just not memorable. But a few stand out.
A few come back to me from readers and customers years later who have not only remembered them, but have effectively internalized them—almost like a mantra. The right words, paired with the right idea can be incredibly sticky.
So, what’s one way to make that happen? A tool I’ve used for years (completely made up from my earlier days working as a linguist) is “minimal pairs.”
What is that? Well, let’s start with phonemes…