A new study published by the Oregon State and Texas Universities has confirmed what we already know: corporate jargon turns off customers and alienates employees.
Their report published in the journal Organisational Dynamics recommends that businesses should swap business gobbledygook for genuine human warmth – in other words, write from the heart as one human being to another. So instead of aiming to “deliver robust solutions to empower communities” the report suggests managers should follow the example of Toys ‘R’ Us, whose simple goal is to “put joy in kids’ hearts and a smile on parents’ faces.”
It also recommended businesses use words that are not only evocative but also relate to objects that are easy to picture. It cited the example of Bill Gates who attracted praise for his easy-to-understand vision of putting “a computer on every desk and in every home.”
Sounds obvious but, sadly, so few companies do it. In fact, corporate gibberish is so prevalent that it has led one frustrated individual to create The Corporate Bullshit Generator, which contains such gems as “Versatile, best-of-breed and reality-based talents leverage an underlying sustainability; this is why the key people boost an awesome energy” and “The policy makers significantly pre-prepare the intelligence, while the game changers establish metrics. The thought leader circles back.”
So which companies avoid jargon?
Google’s admirably clear mission is “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” while Amazon’s is “To be Earth’s most customer-centric company where people can find and discover anything they want to buy online.” Entrepreneur Richard Branson has the following advice: “Brevity is certainly key, so try using Twitter’s 140-character template when you’re drafting your inspirational message. You need to explain your company’s purpose and outline expectations for internal and external clients alike. Make it unique to your company, make it memorable, keep it real and, just for fun, imagine it on the bottom of a coat of arms.”
Regular readers of this blog will know that we occasionally feature some of the worst crimes against the English language that we come across (the BBC is a repeat offender). In fact, here’s one of our posts on the subject from earlier this year. But what’s the worst example of corporate jargon you’ve ever seen? Let us know your contenders!
