What Your Sentences Are Saying Behind Your Back

8 hours ago
3 min read

Your words say one thing. Your sentence structure says something completely different – sometimes even works against you. And the structure usually wins.

The Problem

You think your words say it all. You double-checked their meaning and are certain they are accurate and appropriate. And they may be. But there’s more to a message than words.

There’s sentence structure. Many people are not aware of how the arrangement of their words impacts how their message lands. Here’s a simple example: "Mistakes were made" vs. "We made mistakes".

Sure, both sentences are about mistakes – but they carry different meanings. And each one influences how you’re perceived.

Why it Matters

Once you understand how sentence structure impacts your message, you can consciously focus on structures that reflect what you actually want to say and how you want to be seen. You can make sure that your structure doesn’t sabotage your words.

3 Structural Weaknesses that Can Hurt You

1. Passive Voice.

Let’s expand on the example from above: "Mistakes were made. They will be corrected immediately." That’s passive voice. The passive construction removes the person responsible for the action. To your conversation partners, this can signal evasiveness and a lack of ownership. In new business relationships, it can damage trust.

An active framing sends a much stronger message of accountability. "We made a mistake. We’ll take care of it immediately." You're a partner who’s not afraid to admit when something goes wrong. That shows confidence.

2. Subordinate Clauses.

Let’s start with an example from a sales conversation: "Although the payback time is much shorter, the initial investment is a bit higher than that of our competitors."

For those of you who need a quick refresher: In a sentence with two or more sections, the subordinate clause is the part that starts with a word like "although, even though, while" etc. (subordinate conjunctions).

You may think: Why all this talk about grammar? Here's the issue: We perceive information contained in a subordinate clause as less important. It's not just grammatical — it's psychological. That’s why you should always put key ideas in the main part of the sentence.

Let's take a closer look at the example above: The benefit of the product — the faster payback period — is in the subordinate clause. The disadvantage — the higher initial investment — is in the main clause. On top of that, it’s also the last thing the listener hears. Guess which information your conversation partner remembers?

Your potential client will walk away remembering the higher initial investment. The structure works against you, the seller.

3. Sentence Length.

Long sentences make it hard for the reader to pick out what matters. They slow down momentum. Short sentences, on the other hand, usually focus on only one idea. They are better at telling the reader what to do.

But sentence length goes beyond ease of understanding. Sentence length shows how clear you are in your own thinking. And it signals how much you respect the recipient’s time.

Take this example from an outreach email: "We are an Austrian family company which has been the market leader in our product category for over 30 years and today I’m reaching out to you to let you know that we will be exhibiting at the upcoming industry event in Las Vegas, where we will show our latest product line for the first time."

What's the main point of that sentence? Is it the Austrian origin? The 30-year track record as market leader? The show in Las Vegas? Or is this actually an invitation to come to the booth and see the product?

Don’t make it the reader’s job to play detective and discover what matters. Tell them who you are and what you want. Do it politely and concisely.

The Takeaway

Your default sentence patterns may work against you and you may not even know it. That's why it's so important to become aware of how you write and speak. Good communication isn’t just about using correct words and grammar but about being intentional at every level.

I work with professionals on these patterns every day — and they're almost always fixable with small, deliberate changes. If you'd like a fresh set of eyes on your communication, get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.