Is your content/communication so generic and jargon-filled that it becomes the equivalent of that famous wah-wah-wah voice for your readers?
(Need a reminder? This clip starring Peppermint Patty sums it up perfectly.)
In my work helping companies with the content for their websites, blogs, internal communications and marketing materials, I see Charlie Brown Syndrome often.
Instead, I hope companies will give more thought to creating a distinctive voice that people want to hear — clear, conversational and distinctive.
This post is a tribute to the beauty and effectiveness of simple language.
Cases in point:
Why would you “utilize” when you can use?
Why would you “socialize” your ideas when you could just share them?
Why would you share your “learnings” when you could go old-school – and familiar – and pass on your lessons?
Can you really “activate” a human being? Wouldn’t motivating or engaging them sound a little … warmer?
Vaguely impactful and actionable
Why would you say that something was “impactful” instead of using words to actually convey what the impact was? In addition to sounding awkward, “impactful” doesn’t give me useful information. An impact can be good or bad. Instead, tell me what the impact was — and the more specific you are, the better.
Why would you say that something is “actionable” instead of simply saying it is useful or valuable? Like “impactful,” when “actionable” is taken out of its original context as a legal term and used more generically, it becomes vague and potentially confusing, especially to those who may be most familiar with its legal meaning, which is not positive.
Honorable intentions
As a writer, I understand all too well the desire to stand out in the way you communicate. I believe that companies’ tendency to make up their own language comes from a place of creative and noble intentions.
But bypassing perfectly good, familiar words in favor of longer, more complicated, seldom-used (and yes, sometimes made-up) words makes for ineffective communication on two fronts.
First, it will be confounding to people outside your company. In these days of intense information overload, everyone is drawn to and appreciates simple, straightforward language.
But we understand it!
And creating new lingo for communicating inside your company may feel like a team-building exercise of sorts, but in my experience, its disadvantages outweigh any unifying, we-share-our-own-language effects.
There’s a good chance that those insider terms and phrases are going to make their way into your employees’ conversations outside the office, leaving your customers and partners bewildered or amused. (It took years for me to get out of the habit of telling people I did or did not have enough “bandwidth” for a project.)
When the trees obscure the forest
While I’m pretty sure people will be able to put two and two together and understand what “socializing your ideas” (or your learnings) means, I’m equally sure they will be momentarily stopped in their tracks by clunky and/or unfamiliar words and phrases.
None of us want people to stop and focus on our odd word choices instead of hearing our message.
One other important group that is left in the dust by your secret language? New employees. Who wants to sit in a meeting and be confused by lingo (and acronyms – but that is its own communications topic) on top of the challenge of learning a new job and organization?
As tempting as it may be to jazz up your language, you’ll stand out more by using clear, straightforward words and pouring all of your creativity into your message and your ideas (as long as you are careful to avoid “ideating").
Do you have any words/phrases to add to this list?
Postscript: I do understand that the nature of some organizations’ work means that there are plenty of terms that are scientific, technical or process-specific, and of course, you have to use those in many circumstances. I’m referring to passing over tried-and-true words for unfamiliar words — or words usually used in a far different context, such as “activate” —in general conversation and communication.
Image courtesy of wallpaperest.com