When OJ Simpson stood up at his arraignment in 1994 he didn't say "not guilty". He said "absolutely, 100 percent not guilty". Three extra words that mean nothing legally, because "not guilty" is a binary. You can't be more not guilty than not guilty. In this episode of How Words Work, Jack Fox breaks down why people add convincing language to their own statements when nobody has asked them to, why that hype always lands as weakness, and the one place where convincing language is genuinely useful. From OJ at his arraignment to your colleague in a meeting to the dating profile that protests too much, you'll learn how to spot the hype, what it's protecting, and how to remove it from your own speech so your words finally carry their own weight.

How Words Work is a weekly podcast with Jack Fox.

📩 Jack's weekly newsletter Credible lands every week with one idea you can use straight away. Sign up here: https://jack-fox.kit.com/dfc55f19a6

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In May 2024, CNN released hotel surveillance footage of Sean "Diddy" Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Within 24 hours, Diddy posted a 70-second apology video to Instagram. He never said her name. Not once. In this episode of How Words Work, Jack Fox breaks down the four mechanical moves that turn an apology into a performance: erasing the victim, distancing the act, becoming the protagonist of your own redemption story, and piling on the convincing language. You'll hear exactly how Diddy did all four in less than 70 seconds, and you'll start to spot the same blueprint in workplace apologies, partner apologies, celebrity statements and crisis PR everywhere. By the end you'll know how to hear a real apology and how to give one.

How Words Work is a weekly podcast with Jack Fox.

📩 Jack's weekly newsletter Credible lands every week with one idea you can use straight away. Sign up here: https://jack-fox.kit.com/dfc55f19a6

Content note: this episode discusses domestic violence.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've spent years studying how language builds and destroys credibility. From criminal cases to everyday conversations, the patterns are always the same. But this week I came across something that stopped me in my tracks.

Not a criminal case. Not a courtroom cross examination. A thread on X from an appellate court judge who has read thousands of legal briefs and distilled what separates the ones that win from the ones that lose into a handful of principles so sharp and so clear that I had to share them.

His name is Judge David Weinzweig. His account is Zen and the Art of Persuasive Writing. And what he wrote for lawyers applies to every single conversation, every email, every difficult discussion you will ever have.

Brevity signals confidence. Adverbs can destroy the arguments they're meant to strengthen. Zombie nouns drain the life from your words. And the best communicators answer the question before the other person knows to ask it.

In this episode of How Words Work with Jack Fox, Jack reads the thread, breaks down each principle and shows you exactly how it sounds in real life.

The thread: https://x.com/zenpersuasion/status/2052003677708468285

The book: https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Persuasive-Writing-David-Weinzweig/dp/163905779X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

🎙️ How Words Work with Jack Fox. 📩 Jack's weekly newsletter Credible lands every week with one idea you can use straight away. Sign up here: https://jack-fox.kit.com/dfc55f19a6

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.