It’s October, which means it’s almost Halloween! Time for ghoulish goblins, wacky witches and menacing monsters!
I love all the scary aspects of the month, but there is one thing I see daily working on proposals that’s truly terrifying. Here’s a hint:
“We have state-of-the-art …”
“A cookie-cutter approach …”
“Outside-the-box-thinking …”
“The new normal …”
If these phrases don’t scare you – they should!
According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, Edition 5, buzzwords are words or phrases used by members of some in-group, having little or imprecise meaning but sounding impressive to outsiders.
Wow. Kind of hits hard, doesn’t it?
As mentioned in last month’s blog, corporate jargon and buzzwords can become meaningless when overused. Your writing should build trust and rapport with sincerity and authenticity – not just regurgitate boilerplate language.
Let’s Circle Back to the Problem
Most of the time, buzzwords are used because we are in a time crunch, and phrases like these are easy to just throw together. But, as also was mentioned in last month’s blog, we want to be purposeful in our writing.
Slow down and take the time to think about what you really want to say – and what you want the reader/recipient to remember.
Here are the Top 10 common buzzwords we see most often, and some alternatives for you to consider using instead:
Buzzwords Alternative
State-of-the-art Newest technology, advanced equipment
Outside-the-box From a different perspective, new approach
Buy-in Support, agreement, consensus
The new normal Current conditions, during this phase
Best-in-class Unrivaled, superior, exceptional
Holistic Comprehensive, universal, cohesive
Strategic Well-thought-out, decisive, essential
Leverage Strengthen, gain, obtain
Innovative Creative, imaginative, original
Streamline Simplify, modernize, reengineer
Need more help? Check out this site for more.
Final Deliverable
Direct and straightforward writing will make more of an impact than fluffing up your words. The more personable you sound, the better of a connection you’ll make.
Remember, you don’t want to TRICK the client – you want to TREAT them with all the “sweet” services we offer.
Don’t be sad. We’ll be back on the first Monday next month with a new blog post. If you can’t wait that long – whether because you have a topic you’d love us to cover, a question or you simply want to throw your two cents into the pot – we love talkin’ shop, so drop us a line.
