There’s this phrase I use quite often. “Generally speaking” is one of my word parasites. I use it when I need to describe something in general terms or in layman terms. Draw a big picture. Get on a same page. Simplify things.

Interesting enough is that not many people get it. The big picture, as it turns out, is an entity that isn’t quite “gettable”, being too large or too complicated for some. So I have to use “generally speaking” to explain what I mean and how to take it. As a result I usually get much better attention and understanding from people I talk to. Which helps get things done.

There are not that many cases when people who want something actually know what they want. You can dig deeper if you try to see what each ad is trying to sell. Look at any ad that sells shampoo. It shows you the shampoo bottle, the hair (that most likely belongs to an attractive woman), the process of hair getting better and so on. But it doesn’t quite sell the shampoo or hair improvement. Rather it sells happiness, or sex appeal, or attractiveness. Which, essentially, leads to happiness. So the ad isn’t selling you a bottle of shampoo, it sells you something that will make you happy. Generally speaking, by buying a bottle of shampoo you are buying happiness. There, now you have it.

Ability to be “generally speaking” is rare. Most of the times I hear someone “generally speaking” I get very quiet and listen all the way to the last word. It’s about the big picture, so it must be important.

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