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If you've ever followed my blog you know that I often riff about the words I hate or the expressions that drive me into primal scream mode. They are such an easy target.

I came across a funny but insightful blog post by Michelle Kostya about HR Speak. In her blog she also includes a link to a buzzword generator, which, incidentally, gave me the title for this entry.  The generator spits out phrases like "exploit virtual schemas" and "implement turn-key convergence" without effort. Michelle poses the question:

Why do companies spend hours writing copy that sounds ridiculous. Packaging, websites and corporate literature are written with buzz words, the biggest words they can find, and miscellaneous industry terms. Why?

Good question. I'm not sure either.

But I've got a theory about B2B "corporatespeak" that goes like this: industry jargon and overused phrases like "leading-edge solutions" are like "the mask of the blue suit." They are a type of costume that is donned because the perception is that it is professional and businesslike. It reeks of boardroom committee.

Unfortunately, it dehumanizes copy. It makes it generic, detached and stale.

Writing needs soul. The heart of the matter is that people want to deal with people, not a faceless corporation. They want to feel a connection.

Next time you are writing your new brochure or website copy, go ahead, add a touch of humanity. Make someone's life a little cheerier. Resist the dull and ordinary.

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one comment:

you wrote: reeks of boardroom
I read: reeks of boredom

Kinda says it all, eh?

Jacki Hollywood Brown () (URL) - 10.18.07