Watch your language
Watch Your Language
A couple of weeks ago, whilst travelling from Liverpool to London after a meeting, my train stopped, seemingly for no reason. We sat for 10 minutes wondering what was going on and eventually a voice over the tannoy system said something like the following -
"Hi everyone. Look, I'm really sorry about this. We've been told to wait here. I'm not quite sure what the problem is but I'm trying to find out. I'll let you know more as soon as I know what the situation is".
I was pretty pleased with that. Obviously I wasn't happy about being on a train in the middle of the English countryside for no reason but I was pleased to have as much information as was available, given to me in a down to earth and honest way.
In the end, my train arrived at its destination nearly two hours late and I wrote to the company to claim compensation. In the letter I received with my voucher, the customer relations manager had written -
"I am very sorry that your journey was disrupted. I understand how annoying this must have been for you...Tuesday turned out to be a particularly difficult day for us. Everything was going fine until around 15.00hrs when..." etc.
Not only was I pleased to get my voucher, I was also delighted that the same honest, down to earth, straight-forward language had been used in the letter as I had heard on the train.
So what?
How we speak and write helps others to form a more complete picture of who we are, what we are capable of doing and what our organisation stands for.
Those of us who run businesses put a lot of thought in to the name of our company, the letterhead we use, the logo and the colour of our business cards. Those of us who work in larger companies think about our body language in meetings, the presentation of reports we write and what we wear.
We know that these will be important clues for other people, helping them to form an opinion (hopefully favourable) about us.
And yet, increasingly, people are adopting a style of written and verbal communication which is impersonal, bland and often meaningless.
An example is given by speech-writer Don Watson in his new book "Death Sentence - the decay of public language". Watson, a former speech writer for the Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating, quotes one university's mission statement : "To provide outcome-related research and consultancy services that address real-world issues" The university's "approach to quality management is underpinned by a strong commitment to continuous improvement and a whole-of-organisation framework".
What does that actually mean? What standards does it hold the university to? And how can staff and students get behind that message or feel any emotional connection with it?
This style of writing and speaking can be bad for business - all our companies start to sound the same, all our mission statements start to sound the same, all our ideas start to sound the same. And increasingly we're all talking like that. I use the word "impactful" on a regular basis even though I know it doesn't actually exist! I regularly hear people talk about "going forwards" and "aligning with core values" and read about companies with "a deep commitment to a customer enhanced experience".
What is behind this trend?
That is difficult to say. I believe that because we have a rushed approach to communicating based on the belief that we won't be able to hold a person's attention for long, we paraphrase what we want to say. Instead of taking 5 sentences to explain five distinct points, we try to condense those ideas in to a snappy single statement. And the result is that we lose all meaning, all emotion and our message becomes forgettable. As Don Watson points out, did one memorable phrase come out of the mouths of any politician following 9/11?
The answer going forwards (joke!)
I'm certainly not suggesting you drop these words and phrases from your vocabulary all together. Sometimes they are perfectly suited to the task. But how about incorporating them in to a wider vocabulary that includes vibrant, emotive, personal words like those in the letter from the train company? Here are some tips for doing this:
What are you trying to say - When I was training as a journalist (my first career) I often struggled to put a story in to simple words. My tutor told me "Tell me in a couple of sentences what you are try ring to say". So I told her and she said "Now write that down". How would you say what you are trying to say in a simple, clear way to a family member or friend? Most of the time that's the best way to say it!
Be straight and honest - Often we use this "management speak" as an avoidance tactic. Instead of telling people the uncomfortable truth about ourselves or about them, we couch the message in vague language, hoping to avoid ruffling feathers. Being straight and honest isn't about being rude or insensitive but often stating the truth actually leads to less hostility than avoiding the situation.
Ensure your language is consistent with your brand - The train company which sent me the letter was Virgin Trains. I was delighted to see that the company's image and the way the company communicates was congruent. What does your company stand for? And does its written or spoken communication style fit with that? If not, change it.
What do you mean - Are your words empty or lacking in emotional connection? Or does what you say really mean something to the people you are saying it to? If you are not sure, ask customers, clients, staff, friends etc. Do they feel anything when they read your work or hear you speak? If not, it's time to get back to basics and speak from the heart not the latest management textbook.
