Lately, with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. I heard several stations trying to orchestrate the reaction to a giveaway for those days, saying things like “You’re gonna like it!”

How do you know?  (You don’t. After all, one person’s “great” prize is another person’s “yard sale” junk.)

Besides coming across as just trying a little too hard to generate excitement, you’re also telling me (the Listener) what to think; what to feel. This will always fail with a large portion of listeners, because a LOT of people – wait for it – like to make up their own minds.

The easy cure is to tell me that you think I’m going to like it. “I think you’ll really like it” is what you’d tell a friend – if you wanted to stay that person’s friend. Telling a person what you think their reaction should be can erode a friendship pretty quickly.