As a copywriter I’m interested in most things related to business. Nothing fascinates me more than sales.
Having been in a number of sales organizations, I’ve seen my share of great salespeople, and more than my share of those who needed to find something else to do. One of the chief characteristics that the great ones have is the ability to talk plainly.
An article in Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Caffeine newsletter reminded me of this. In the article, “Plain Talk Makes Sales. Fancy Talk Makes You Sound Lame”, he promotes a book by Dianna Booher, The Voice of Authority. The essential message of the book is to “86″ all of the jargon, business-speak and cliches, and favor a style that’s authentic, original and specific.
This is good advice for anyone who’s interested in utilizing their creative abilities, regardless of their vocation. It’s especially true for us “creative-types”.
Being creative is hard enough. We make our job far more difficult by complicating our language. My 12th grade English teacher called this malady “Straight-A Illiteracy”. It’s saying a lot of smart-sounding words that no one can understand.
And this produces a creative fog.
Cut through the fog. Speak originally. Speak authentically.
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