The language of business is where words go to die.

Innovation, disruption, customer-centric, transformation, frictionless, strategic…these words — and countless others — have no impact on us at all because everyone uses them, all the time, to mean whatever they want.

So if you want people to listen to you, remember what you said, or better yet actually do something, avoid these worn out tropes like the plague. Refuse to use them.

Instead, say what you mean in the most basic possible terms. Better yet, use analogy, metaphor and colorful, emotive language to paint a more vivid picture.

Sure, you could say, “Technocorp presents a disruptive threat to our core business.” But this sort of language is hardly going to inspire action. “Technocorp’s tank is on our front lawn, and we’re staring down the barrel of the gun,” will get people moving.

Yes, you could say, “We’re working on a frictionless customer-focused solution.” But say, “We know what customers want and we’re giving it to them: something so fast it makes every competitor look bovine.” And people will get excited.

Communication is an essential business skill. Words are powerful instruments to inform, persuade, motivate and inspire. Use them accordingly!

See this post on LinkedIn