The art of speaking in future tense — Lionesses of Africa

by Elizabeth Otieno 

Business is booming! You are at the top of your game, your clients have fallen deeply in love with your product and services and now, new clients are diving in because let’s face it: you are just that good! 

But you know you can still do more, something extra you could offer. That ‘It’ factor that will turn your business from a ‘yes’ to a ‘YAS!’. So, what’s holding you back from pursuing that ‘It’? Fear of ‘It’ failing? Lack of funds? No support? No, we procrastinate getting ‘It’ because we are complacent. Deep down in our subconscious, we are comfortable with where we are, in the familiar shallow end.

So why not break that mentality by speaking in future tense?

What is ‘Speaking in Future Tense’? It is speaking about a goal you aim to achieve in the near future, by first breathing life into it by speech and then physically putting in all the effort to make ‘It’ happen. Instead of saying ‘I don’t offer 3D animation’ say ‘I’ll be offering it soon’. Don’t say ‘We don’t offer customized cups yet’, instead tell your client ‘we will also soon be adding customized cups to our service list’. The goal of ‘Speaking in Future Tense’ is to bring, or rather, force things into existence. You force the ‘It’ into existence. 

The moment you have spoken to someone about providing ‘It’, you feel obligated to make ‘It’ real. 

Why? 

None of us want to look like frauds. We value the trust our clients have in us and we want to maintain it. So, we will feel obligated to make it happen. And not just at any quality, but at its best quality.

We have spoken in future tense on multiple occasions. When we tell our kid’s that we are going out and then we look for the funds to cater for the fun, or when we tell our lecturers that we are going to start a certain topic and research on it soon. If we can speak in future tense in our personal and educational life, why not in our professional life.

Speaking in future tense is not lying, it merely forces you to go through with what you have promised. Now that you have spoken about the new service or item, you must make it a reality. You are basically speaking your ‘It’ into existence. However, speaking in future tense should only be used by those who genuinely intend to go through with it. Those who in spite of fear, have decided to go through with the new plan. It was once a passing thought or a scribble on your notebook, but now it’s going to be real and will have to take top priority on your schedule. 

If you do not genuinely intend to make ‘It’ happen and are just using future tense speech to grab a client’s attention, then you are lying. 

Point blank. 

Remember to give yourself a realistic timeline when you plan for your ‘It’. Not one derived from fear or desperation. The tricky thing about mastering the art of ‘speaking in future tense’ is finding balance between your ability, your ambition and a realistic time goal.

So, if you’ve had an ‘It’ on your mind, think of this as a sign to make it happen.