Know what I mean?

A verbal tic. Or is it something more? Also, 7 other things worth your time, and none of them are political.

Can I ask you to consider something? It’s about a common verbal habit or tic.

Some people say that people who do this lack confidence. They say they're opening the door to not be taken seriously.

But maybe people who react like this are wrong? At the very least, they're missing an opportunity.

The speaking habit is what's known as “high rising terminal.” It has other names too, like “uptalk,” “rising inflection,” or “high rising intonation.”

It's the phenomenon that results in people speaking declarative sentences with a rising pitch that is more commonly applied to asking a question. Sometimes, they wind up dividing declarative sentences into shorter phrases, each with its own rising pitch.

A person who does not speak with a high rising intonation might offer the following suggestion:

“Looking at all the variables, and the uncertainty in the world right now, I think we should reach out to existing customers so we know where we stand. At the same time, we can figure out which future opportu…