“If at First You Don’t Succeed… try, try a cliché.”
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

I’m still learning to be a better communicator.  A nasty habit I’m trying to get over is telling people what they “should” do.  Most people “should” be doing a lot of things but they don’t.  Even if you tell them they “should”, they won’t.  So what’s an effective way to communicate this message without telling them that they “should” do it?  One trick I picked up is to use proverbs (or clichés).

There are many reasons why they’re effective but I think one of the more important ones is that they succinctly communicate a message without the connotation of criticism.  Communication without criticism is powerful stuff.  So next time you get the urge to say “should” just remember that “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”