Seat at the Table

I’ve always been taught that the best teachers and speakers (in other words, communicators) are able to make complex ideas simple.  Doing this requires avoiding complex words and sticking to plain English words – the kind you use at polite non-business dinner conversation. 

So when I saw the AP article on local British governments committing to cutting out “non-words” I had a moment of embarrassment for PR industry.   Why weren’t we making this call?  Here’s what the local British government association is aiming to achieve:

The Local Government Association, whose members include hundreds of district, town and county councils in England and Wales, on Friday sent out a list of 100 “non-words” that it said officials should avoid if they want to be understood.

The list includes the popular but vague term “empowerment;” “coterminosity,” a situation in which two organizations oversee the same geographical area; and “synergies,” combinations in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Officials were told to ditch the term “revenue stream” for income, as well as the imprecise “sustainable communities.” The association also said councils should stop referring to local residents as “customers” or “stakeholders.”

Reading this got me thinking that if there’s one thing the PRSA and other PR related industry groups could do, it’s lead the charge to eradicate business buzzwords and bring back the English language.  Doing this would address several key problems for the industry is seen (other wise known as perception problems):

1) Helping companies clearly communicate to the people who care (i.e., the stakeholders).  I’m sure we can do better if we are using the offending buzzwords as much as any other consulting profession.

2) Providing true leadership in communications.  Right now, a [British] government association taking a communications lead on something as fundamental as speaking clearly.  Let’s be the communications leaders we should be and, as an industry, call on corporate America to do the same.

3) Provide the best possible communications counsel.  I don’t think we are doing this now if our counsel does not start and end with asking our clients to speak clearly and in plain English.  How can it if the presentations to our clients are filled with this very jargon (I’ve been in enough to know).

If anyone has seen this actual list, I’d love to get a copy.  It may be our next great piece of PR literature.

(disclosure: I’ve used the offending language including stakeholder, value-add, maximize and other 6+ letter words more times than I can admit).