Summary: "Bull has become the language of business." Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, page 2 Every single one of us can tell the difference between human communication and business communication—when we're reading. For some reason, when we're writing, we lose our minds. The best books on change are written, not by folks who never had to learn, but by those who've "been there" and wish they hadn't done that. Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway and Jon Warshawsky - authors of Why Business People Speak Like Idiots - all worked at Deloitte Consulting, committing the very crimes outlined in this book when one day they woke up and smelled the, er, aroma of what they were saying in their professional writing. After creating software (called Bullfighter) to help them monitor their own writing, they gathered what they learned, verified their thinking with a little informal research, and identified the four main reasons business people speak like idiots—and how not to. Fugere and company describe four "traps" that business people can fall into with their writing. In each case, they speak to how someone falls into the trap, give examples, and offer clear advice on how to avoid the trap in the future. In case the title of the book doesn't make this obvious, every lesson is delivered with humour in clear, simple language. Why business people speak like idiots is a fun read; educational without being too dense. Golden Egg Plain Speaking is Valued but Scarce "Entire careers can be built on straight talk—precisely because it is so rare." Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, page 6 The four traps (covered in detail in GEM #1) are hard to escape. Business writing and speaking is widely damaged by obscure, personality-less, pushy, boring prose. The rare examples stand out. And, in a world overrun by messaging, that means that rare plain speaking has very real financial value to your business. We admire, even revere, plain speakers who aren't afraid to be human. Billionaire Warren Buffet's 2002 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders included the sentence "I was dead wrong." Walter Cronkite, in the most moving and historic passage in broadcasting history, nearly gave way to tears while announcing the assassination of President Kennedy. Or this snippet by a chap named Churchill: "We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." (Winston Churchill's speech to the House of Commons, June 4, 1940) Can you even imagine a politician today speaking so plainly? Straight talk is scarce and valuable. Those who excel at it will stand out. So what are these "traps" to avoid exactly, and how do we do that? Well, I thought you'd never ask. GEM # 1 Avoid the Four Traps "Great business leaders live life outside the four traps." Why Business People Speak Like Idiots, page 6 In your professional writing (and speaking) avoid - at all costs - the four traps: The Obscurity Trap — Jargon, wordiness, and evasiveness obscure your message. Use common language. Where unfamiliar terms are the most appropriate choice, define them. Tell the truth directly. Be brief. (On November 19, 1863, noted orator Edward Everett gave a 2-hour speech which was 13,500 words long. You're probable more familiar with the 5-minute 270-word opening act, which began "Four score and seven years ago . . . ”) The Anonymity Trap — Bring your personality to work with you. Avoid the lazy safety of templates. Don't polish every point to predictability. Use humour, fer cryin' out loud! Folks will go out of their way to listen to someone who's funny. Sometimes an email just won't do.
