What is it with businesspeople trying to sound big? The stiff language, the
formal announcements, the artificial friendliness, the legalese, etc. You read this
stuff and it sounds like a robot wrote it. These companies talk at you, not to you.
This mask of professionalism is a joke. We all know this. Yet small companies
still try to emulate it. They think sounding big makes them appear bigger and
more "professional." But it really just makes them sound ridiculous. Plus, you
sacrifice one of a small company's greatest assets: the ability to communicate
simply and directly, without running every last word through a legal-and PRdepartment sieve.
There's nothing wrong with sounding your own size. Being honest about who
you are is smart business, too. Language is often your first impression--why start
it off with a lie? Don't be afraid to be you.
That applies to the language you use everywhere--in e-mail, packaging,
interviews, blog posts, presentations, etc. Talk to customers the way you would
to friends. Explain things as if you were sitting next to them. Avoid jargon or any
sort of corporate-speak. Stay away from buzzwords when normal words will do
just fine. Don't talk about "monetization" or being "transparent;" talk about
making money and being honest. Don't use seven words when four will do.
And don't force your employees to end e-mails with legalese like "This e-mail
message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain
confidential and privileged information." That's like ending all your company emails with a signature that says, "We don't trust you and we're ready to prove it
in court." Good luck making friends that way.
Write to be read, don't write just to write. Whenever you write something,
read it out loud. Does it sound the way it would if you were actually talking to
someone? If not, how can you make it more conversational?
Who said writing needs to be formal? Who said you have to strip away your
personality when putting words on paper? Forget rules. Communicate!
And when you're writing, don't think about all the people who may read your
words. Think of one person. Then write for that one person. Writing for a mob
leads to generalities and awkwardness. When you write to a specific target,
you're a lot more likely to hit the mark.