More words that must die

By Barb Sawyers

Communicators, unite. Please join my crusade to stop the overuse and misuse of kick ass, onboarding, serial entrepreneur, evangelist, story and similarly abused words.

As with my tirades about think out of the box and other tired clichés, I know I can’t change anything on my own. We need each other.

Kick ass
Like my earlier rant against awesome, this is partly directed at those middle-aged corporate types who think they sound cool, and younger, by using a term too wild for them to have risked only a few years ago. Seriously, it makes them look like they are trying too hard. If their presentation is so kick ass, they don’t have to say it. Their audience members will discover that through an enticing title and then watching it.

Onboarding
A recent discussion on the IABC Linkedin group reminded me why I hate this term so much. Often used to describe employee orientation programs, its application has extended to new customers and gamers. The awkward construction hurts my ears, almost as much as “de-planing.” Worse still, it reminds me of waterboarding. Hardly the welcome intended. Wouldn’t welcome be a nicer term?

Serial entrepreneurs
Although we know this refers to people who repeatedly start new businesses, its serial killer roots can’t be shaken. Like serial adulterer, it suggests that these guys are up to no good, instead of fueling job growth. If these business starters are so full of new ideas, why can’t they come up with a better description? Clearly, they need the help of us professional communicators.

Evangelists
Some people who are supposedly passionate about their jobs have taken to calling themselves evangelists. But I can’t stop thinking about the televangelists who bilk seniors of their life savings, engage in hypocritical behaviour or speak in tongues. These self-styled evangelists need energetic writing to demonstrate how passionate they are instead of joining the crowd in hijacking questionable monikers.

Stories
Every since some business people realized how potent storytelling can be, marketers have tried to sell brand stories and other commercials that lack plot, characters and other basic story elements. And what’s up with Facebook telling us to click for More Stories? They are updates, links and other scraps, rarely the stories we enjoy so much in books, television, film and live conversation.

As the people in charge of cleaning and clearing corporate obfuscation, communicators have a responsibility to join this crusade. So please share words you would like to kill and alternatives to them as well as strategies for linguistic interventions and measures to prevent this abuse.

Together, we can make a difference. Oops, my cliché is showing.

Barb Sawyers’ book Write Like You Talk Only Better is now available in paperback, Kindle and, any minute now, for other e-readers. A long-time IABC member, freelance writer and trainer, Barb regularly shares her views on annoying words and other communication issues at http://www.stickycommunication.ca/blog.

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