Using “towards language” is great but there are times when you have to deal with problem situations, conflicting situations, and crisis.

In such instances, it is also a good idea to use “away from” language. Words such as solve, prevent, and fix are all examples of away from language. The idea here is to motivate people to get rid of a certain problem and obtain personal relief from doing that.

One aspect of human nature is that we all want to prevent problems. People want to avoid problems, pain, and suffering as much as possible. When you say to your sales team, “We have to solve this problem of low sales volume as soon as possible, or everyone’s income will suffer”, the way you communicate there is that you are appealing to their desire to avoid pain and suffering. You are showing them the right action to do in order to “move away” from the problem.

When a girl says to her friend, “Fix your hair now before your boyfriend sees you”, that’s away from language. It’s a very powerful communication tool to use when you’re trying to motivate other people to action. Use it in the right situations and with clean intentions. On the other hand, avoid threatening others or emotionally blackmailing them.