--- title: Speak Like a Work-in-Progress description: Action still speaks louder than words, but active words can speak to your audiences. image: https://blog.maslansky.com/hubfs/illustration-1.png --- - [What is Language Strategy®?](https://maslansky.com/what-is-language-strategy/) - [Insights](https://maslansky.com/insights/) - [HearSay Podcast](https://maslansky.com/hearsay-podcast/) - [About us](https://maslansky.com/who-we-are/) - [Connect](https://maslansky.com/connect/) - [Careers](https://maslansky.com/careers-at-maslanskypartners/) - [Our Work](https://maslansky.com/work_weve_done) [![Maslansky](https://blog.maslansky.com/hs-fs/file-2208844478-png/Images/maslansky_logo_white.png "Maslansky")](http://www.maslansky.com/) [![logo (8)](https://blog.maslansky.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20(8).png?width=50&height=50&name=logo%20(8).png)](http://www.maslansky.com/) # Default HubSpot Blog ## [Speak Like a Work-in-Progress](https://blog.maslansky.com/speak-like-a-work-in-progress) Posted by [David Baynham](https://blog.maslansky.com/author/david-baynham) on Feb 1, 2017 2:30:27 PM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *By David Baynham, Senior Director* Everyone wants to be an achiever. It’s better to be a work-in-progress. It can be tempting for companies to try building brand equity by proving to their audiences that they’ve met goals, hit targets, done good…or have committed to do so in the future. Here’s what their audiences think: | **you say…** | **your audience thinks…** | | --- | --- | | We hit our goals | Great. Why are you standing still NOW? | | We increased our service reliability | | | We did… | | | We will… | | In hundreds of hours of research, we’ve seen that you can’t rest on your laurels or your promises. You can’t be standing still—you need to be moving forward. And your language signals how active you are being in the here and now. There are lots of ways to signal that the effort you’re engaged in isn’t simply a one off: **Maintenance → *Ongoing Maintenance*** **Meeting goals →  *Making progress*** **We did →  *We’re getting better at*** **Recommendation → *Strategy*** **Stay sharp → *Staying sharp*** Each of these examples shows a fundamental shift in how we use language; from signaling an event, to signaling an ongoing, active process. The most effective language shows that you’re consistently getting better, right now. When communicating to your audience, it’s important to acknowledge that nothing you have done, or will do can be as impactful as conveying a sense of continued progress and improvement. Actions matter—active language makes them matter more. ### Subscribe to Email Updates ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [Insider (1)](https://blog.maslansky.com/topic/insider) ### Follow Me ### New York 220 E 42ndStreet, 15thFloor New York, NY 10017 ### Washington 3050 K Street NW Washington, DC 20007 [mailto:KYazmir@maslansky.com](mailto:KYazmir@maslansky.com) ### do you have opinions? we’re listening. [**+  join a focus group**](https://maslansky.com/join-our-research-panel/) ### we’re growing, join us! **[+  view our careers](http://www.maslansky.com/careers)** ### stay connected [![social media icon](https://blog.maslansky.com/hs-fs/file-2208844518-png/Images/linkedin.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/company/1174142?trk=NUS_CMPY_TWIT) [![logo (8)](https://blog.maslansky.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo%20(8).png?width=66&height=66&name=logo%20(8).png)](http://www.maslansky.com/) [Back To Top](https://blog.maslansky.com/speak-like-a-work-in-progress#top) [sitemap](http://www.maslansky.com/sitemap)  © 2026 maslansky + partners  website design by Passionates.