The English dictionary contains about 170,000 words — enough to allow nuance and specificity, regardless of the circumstance. An English summer’s day can be described as inclement, bleak, dreary or typical, for example.

It’s odd then, that the business lexicon is not only absurdly narrow, but consists almost entirely of words whose defining characteristic is ambiguity: innovation, culture, disruption, transformation, value, and marketing are words we use daily, without a clear and shared idea of what they mean.

By constraining ourselves to a narrow, abstract vocabulary, we also constrain our thinking, creativity, ability to execute, and with that, our potential. It also means the majority of what we read at work is indescribably dull. TL;DR is more often than not TOO F'ING BORING; DR.

The problem is easy to fix.

Start by imagining that you're talking to your grandparents rather than a Gartner analyst. Next, imagine that what you have to say is really very interesting and important — how could you make it stick in the reader’s brain? Use an analogy? Tell a story? A humorous turn of phrase? Some quirky adjectives?

Most of business is communication. Good writing stands out, exerts influence, saves time and leads to action. It's well worth the effort, in other words.

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