The Sentimen Table
Change your mood by changing your words! This fun app, inspired by Dr. Rodafinos' article, will help you select a new and positive word to use throughout your day.
Your word will appear here.
Use this word whenever someone asks how you are feeling.
✨ SentimenTable Word Selector - Detailed Description ✨
🎯 How It Works
Each morning, get your personalized positive word from our SentimenTable. Use it throughout the day when people ask "How are you?" Instead of saying "fine" or "okay", respond with your daily word to shift your mood and energy!
💬 Usage Examples
🧠 Why This Works
This practice is based on cognitive dissonance theory. When you consistently use positive language to describe how you feel, your brain works to align your actual emotions with your words. This creates a powerful feedback loop that can genuinely improve your mood and outlook.
The SentimenTable provides you with a rich vocabulary of positive descriptors, helping you break free from habitual neutral or negative responses and embrace a more vibrant way of expressing yourself.
Each morning, get your personalized positive word from our SentimenTable. Use it throughout the day when people ask "How are you?" Instead of saying "fine" or "okay", respond with your daily word to shift your mood and energy!
💬 Usage Examples
- Instead of: "Not too bad" Try: "I'm absolutely magnificent!"
- Instead of: "Fine" Try: "I'm feeling spectacular!"
- Instead of: "Okay" Try: "I'm gloriously vibrant!"
- Instead of: "Alright" Try: "I'm feeling exceptional!"
🧠 Why This Works
This practice is based on cognitive dissonance theory. When you consistently use positive language to describe how you feel, your brain works to align your actual emotions with your words. This creates a powerful feedback loop that can genuinely improve your mood and outlook.
The SentimenTable provides you with a rich vocabulary of positive descriptors, helping you break free from habitual neutral or negative responses and embrace a more vibrant way of expressing yourself.
The SentimenTable © (FULL ARTICLE - Explanation)
Change the way you greet others: Here are 160 ways to respond to "Hi! How are you?"
I admit it. I have a soft spot for salutations. And I am tired of routine replies:
‘Good, thank you’ or 'Not too bad, yourself?'
Here is an idea! Use the 'SENTIMENTABLE,' a collection of random but creative responses to the No 1 question we have to answer (a zillion times) each day:
- Hi, how are you?
Next time someone asks you, pick a word from the table (view next page) to reply:
- Terrific, incredible, groovy, buzzing, dazzled!
The drill can instantly shift your current mood (to positive), connect with co-workers, peers and family … AND generate a few giggles! It is also a taster that will motivate you to read more on managing your and others' emotions. Find instructions below!
Read more here (The related chapter in "Idiots are invincible").
Download the full article here (.pdf).
I admit it. I have a soft spot for salutations. And I am tired of routine replies:
‘Good, thank you’ or 'Not too bad, yourself?'
Here is an idea! Use the 'SENTIMENTABLE,' a collection of random but creative responses to the No 1 question we have to answer (a zillion times) each day:
- Hi, how are you?
Next time someone asks you, pick a word from the table (view next page) to reply:
- Terrific, incredible, groovy, buzzing, dazzled!
The drill can instantly shift your current mood (to positive), connect with co-workers, peers and family … AND generate a few giggles! It is also a taster that will motivate you to read more on managing your and others' emotions. Find instructions below!
Read more here (The related chapter in "Idiots are invincible").
Download the full article here (.pdf).
THE TRADITIONAL TABLE
(Before the AI era, which helped create the app above, I used the text below)
Pick any letter from A to D and a number between 1 and 40 (without looking at the table). E.g., C and 3. The number-letter pairs (C-3) form the coordinates of the words in the table that follows below. Now check the table below. Find the word that corresponds to the specific coordinates. In this case, C-3 = glittering.
Throughout the day, use the word you have come up with either as an adjective or as an adverb to describe how you feel when asked “how are you, how are you feeling, how are you doing” etc. Respond with “I usually feel very good but at the moment I’m feeling … [the word you’ve come up with].”
If you wish, you can supplement your own words to the table. You may also create new compound phrases using the words in the table plus one or more of the following: hyper, super, mega, giga, extra, special, etc. For example, extra-juicy, super-attractive, hyper-bright. Go on, give it a try, stop being so serious and have some fun!
(Excerpt from the book "Idiots are invincible."
Download a pdf copy here)
Pick any letter from A to D and a number between 1 and 40 (without looking at the table). E.g., C and 3. The number-letter pairs (C-3) form the coordinates of the words in the table that follows below. Now check the table below. Find the word that corresponds to the specific coordinates. In this case, C-3 = glittering.
Throughout the day, use the word you have come up with either as an adjective or as an adverb to describe how you feel when asked “how are you, how are you feeling, how are you doing” etc. Respond with “I usually feel very good but at the moment I’m feeling … [the word you’ve come up with].”
If you wish, you can supplement your own words to the table. You may also create new compound phrases using the words in the table plus one or more of the following: hyper, super, mega, giga, extra, special, etc. For example, extra-juicy, super-attractive, hyper-bright. Go on, give it a try, stop being so serious and have some fun!
(Excerpt from the book "Idiots are invincible."
Download a pdf copy here)
Professional trainers' reactions about the idea
Read below some of the reactions and the comments I received when I posted and tested this exercise on Linkedin’s Effective and Fun Training Techniques group. Their comments add confidence in publishing and pursuing this idea further.
What a great idea! Thank you for sharing - it helps with finding different words for how I feel. Much appreciated. Susanne Baessler International Management Consultant, MBA, MA
This is TERRIFIC!!! Patience Edremoda Independent Consultant
This is really fantastic, Angelos! Am definitely going to use it. English LanguageTrainer and Examiner at British Council Liza Thomas
Thank you Angelos. Very practical (and FUN) resource! Mari Adams Coach, Educator, EQ Programme Developer and Facilitator at LifeInAbundance ltd
Thanks for sharing Angelos...love it ! Aparna Shekar Certified Soft skills trainer, Freelance writer, L&D Professional
Great idea! funny as well :) Raluca Butnaru Business Analyst at Endava This reminds me of the "BOFH excuse calendar".
I'm definitely going to use this. I'm saddened by today's enriched vocabulary being reduced down to simpleton phrases of "ahh-sum!" by the oh-my-god-squad. My mission: to produce a unique response with each question. Spin that wheel! Dave Smith IT Trainer | ITIL Expert | Consultant
Funny and clever. Thanks! ;o) Gail Dennison Movement Educator; Author; Co-developer of Educational Kinesiology and the Brain Gym® and Vision Gym® Programs
The spin wheels are great! The question "How are you?" is often asked as a formality and no one usually has the time to listen to the response and some do not really care and others might silently think "why is he telling me so much - I wish he would stop or go away" when someone responds properly to this question. So one of these answers may actually stop the person asking the question and make them consider why the response was what it was and might result in genuine engagement. Definitely a great way to set the tone for the day. Thank you Angelos. Sai Bhupalam Consultant & Coach at Inner Power Consulting Services
Very creative and interesting. Thanks :-) Neetu Arora GE Capital America
This really cheered me up at the start of my day as I tried to imagine some of the people I regularly come into contact with using some of the words I selected. Even just the cartoon to introduce it where the head is responding with "yellow" I liked. I am going to try it today. Thank you for starting my day with me smiling Angelos! Shona Dagless Learning Products & Services Director - EMEA at TTi Global
Fantastic, thank you Angelos! Mandy Stephens MInstSMM Director at PhoneCoach Limited and expert in portable telephone role-play training equipment and live call recording
Fun idea! I'll have to try this out. Andrea Anthony Learning and Development Specialist
This is a great resource thank you. I also learnt from a Dale Carnegie seminar to link the word to the day so: marvellous on a Monday, terrific on a Tuesday etc. Nice and easy to remember. Helen Barnes Coaching and Training Specialist
Really liked this one! :D Daniela Valente Psicóloga, Recursos Humanos
Great fun! Just eaten fab, huge meal and the word which came out for me was fulfilled - very apt!! :-) Suzette Verrill Owner, B-Learning & Development Ltd
This is great. Thank you Angelos! :) Nimisha Raj Instructional Designer Dear Mr Angelos,
Thanks Angelos, for the great reminder. Vinod Kumar Project Management Consultant & Trainer
I like the thought behind this. Specifically where Dr. Rodafinos writes this can “shift your current mood (to positive),” How often do we ask that question and not want a real answer? How often do we give a true answer? Unfortunately people do not want to hear it. If you answer “euphoric” (B11) enough times you will start to feel it. Just to help, I am downloading a random number generator to make picking one easier. Thanks for sharing! Tim Munsey Time & Labor Management Support Technician at Payroll People Inc.
Thank you for enlightening me on the various propositions when communicating abroad with my audience. May find it preposterous at the beginning due to cultural diversity and mind-set but given some encouragement and behavioral values in this approach, may turn out to be valuable to their future undertakings and progress at work as well as in the society. Thum Yeow Keon PJK, PJM Leading, Inspiring, Motivating
This sounds like a fun way to answer to an otherwise bland question. Thanks Larry Kellogg Senior Nuclear Electrical Instructor at Millistone
A fun and creative way out of a daily dilemma, and yes, positive words accompany us through the day and have some effect. Kirsten Butterweck General Manager bei FARBEN Advertising
Great answers ... till now I just replied (mostly) "I'm great!" and got puzzled looks as in my country people like to say:"well bad because..." or "Not so good because..." and so on :) Jaroslav Berce Author of "Leadership by Virtue"
Very original thinking on topic we all have trouble with. When I feel in the dumps and someone asks me, I hate letting them into my personal grief. It's natural to be truthful but negativity can make us feel even better. We have to change our mind set by putting happy words in our mouths and our brains will follow. Good topic Linda Ramadan Independent Writing and Editing Professional
SPIN THE WHEEL
The online Spin Wheel 1 and Spin Wheel 2 below will produce similar greetings that you can use to reply when others ask you how you are or how you feel. Try them out! Then share them with your friends! Kids and teachers loved the idea!
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