Be impeccable with your words
Every time you say an acronym ask yourself why you are wanting to use it. If it is to show the audience you are an insider like them, it’s good. If you are speaking to leaders who are not experts or a non-technical audience, avoid it. Even a term like “DE&I” sounds more elegant and important when you say it fully as "diversity, equity, and inclusion". --- Even though the audience knows what that is, you elevate the concept by saying the longer version.
by Stephanie Bickel
You don't want to sound like a brochure.
Do not use "company speak" or "consultantese".
Be audience-centric or client-centric and use more compelling and direct terms. That is the language of leadership, the language of authority, and expertise.
More compelling terms
1. Report / Document
Instead, say:
Benchmarks, KPI comparisons, customized insights and recommendations,
presentation
2. Product name "Let's put that in Salesforce"
Instead:
Name the actual business expertise in the audience’s business terms (e.g.
customer database)
3. Process information and details
Instead:
Give a description of the "what" (vs process which is the "how")
4. Cool, awesome
Instead, say:
Excellent, well done, exactly what we need
More direct language
1. Apples to apples
Instead, say:
Consistent definitions / robust methodology
2. Qualifiers (e.g. When it comes to deposits, balances are low, In addition to X, leading
banks should do Y
Instead:
Start with the main point (e.g. Balances are low across deposit products,
Leading banks should do Y…in addition to X). Don’t bury the lead.
3. Kind of start to see, sort of see Company X
Instead, say:
Company X performed, grew, etc.
We see that Bank X sees benchmarks, data, analysis highlights,
Bank X experienced, achieved
4. Hoping to, planning to
Instead, say:
Will do (more confident)
5. Are also doing, are launching, have found ways of
Instead, say:
do, utilize, implement
6. Several things to consider when…
Instead, say:
We should consider X, Y, and Z (call out the specific things)
7. On the next page, we focus on digital sales, and as you can see from the data on the
left…so therefore digital sales are weaker than
Instead, say:
Company X’s digital sales are weaker than (lead with the main message as
the data are the supporting points) which is supported by the data…
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