Corporatese and Other Dialects I Avoid

Graphics first appeared at Contentedly.com

I'm not just being stubborn; I have a hard time understanding a lot of Corporate-speak. And I'm in the word business!

Why would you use weird phrases to sound "smart" when what you're more likely to do is lose your audience?

Contentedly's wonderful infographic of 50 Terrible Phases we should stop using at work (and everywhere!) really resonated with me.

Translation: I agree!

Say What You Mean to Say

Sometimes, we have to put on a dog-and-pony show. We have to play in the sandbox with people we'd rather not play with, or work with, at all.

And certainly, there are worse offenses than speaking (or double-speaking) in euphemisms that sound more like a secret code or a party game than ... well, good communication.

I gravitate toward clients who speak in plain English to their partners, to their employees, and to their customers. One of the joys of freelancing is that (usually) I can be a little bit choosey about my clients. And for those who relish their game-changing, kimono-opening dialogs .... well, I find I don't always have the bandwidth to handle those jobs.

It is what it is.

But Seriously, Folks - Let's Make Sense

Here's a compelling reason to avoid using those obsfucating phrases: they don't translate well on the world stage.

Image from Contentedly.com

English may one day be the universal language. Maybe it is already. Either way, it's not an easy one to learn. When you toss some cultural oddities into the mix, then top it off with a sprinkle of business-speak, the result can be an unintelligible concoction.

Sure, it resembles English. But chances are that mess isn't communicating what you want it to.

And isn't communicating what you want to do?

Isn't it what you need to do?

I think it is.

If you'd like to get some marketing content that gets your point across to prospects, customers, employees, and other business partners, please contact me. I bet I speak your language ;)

Read More About the Value of Good Communication

Sam Falletta of Northeast Ohio's Incept Communications gets it. He explained to Smart Business Magazine how good communication - conversation, really - makes good organizations better. Read the article or contact Incept to find out how your company can get, and keep, the conversation going.

I speak Plain English, not Corporatese

I can sling acronyms and buzzwords with the best of 'em, but I'd rather just communicatehttp://www.dianestresing.com/about.html. Here's a little marketing wisdom for you:

If it's not a pleasure to read, no one's going to read it. Then where are your marketing results?