Don't you hate corporate speak? You know, those funny little words and phrases that we hear so often while at work that we somehow get brainwashed into thinking that people really talk like that?
Hey let's face it, we all get caught up in the cycle and fall victim. Come on, admit it...remember that the first step(s) in a 12 step program to recovery is admittance and acceptance. We are all friends here. I'll even be the first to stand up.
Good evening everyone - my name is Matthew... (hi Matthew)... and I use corporate speak in my conversations and executive communications...
Its pretty well documented that corporate speak does very little to help engage and inform employees. In fact, it can do quite the opposite and actually be damaging to your credibility and the desired end result. So why do we do it? Now, I know that I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know...but WHAT are we going to do about it?
I say its time to STAND UP and revolt against corporate speak! We are all intelligent folks, and we can convey our thoughts, information, messages, etc., without terms like strategic alignment, efficacy, synergy, integrated solutions, streamline efficiencies and the like.
Its time that we develop our own MANIFESTO! Let's have a little fun with it. By commenting to this post (button at the bottom), submit your most hated corporate speak terms and we'll work to develop an Organizational Communications MANIFESTO that denounces the usage of these meaningless phrases and helps to unify us in the brother-(and sister-)hood of honest, straightforward employee communications professionals.
Who's with me?!Let us be free of the chains that bind us."its all for nothing if we don't have our freedom!"
OK, I'm done with my BRAVEHEART moment...seriously, send in some thoughts. We're allowed to have some fun while we work...its part of the HR Policies of Conduct. Once we develop the MANIFESTO we can hang it up on our virtual wall and begin practicing. Let's make it matter!
I am hoping that you post your thoughts and responses to the GCC. I am not sure if I can make the conference, so I would love to hear your thoughts on topics covered, strategic direction as we plan for 2007 and beyond.
Posted by: Erin | October 13, 2006 at 05:30 AM
Count me in, too! Here goes: Strategic. That's one of my pet peeves: EVERYTHING is "strategic" nowadays... Of course communications professionals are going to think things through before doing them, as opposed to "let's just mess around with this and see if it works..." Leverage. That's another one. How many times have you heard that an organization is "leveraging its strategic resources?" I've heard "leverage" so often, I feel like Archimedes! (Ancient Greek mathematician who wrote about levers.) Optimize. People use "optimize" when they mean to say "improve." And "play in that space." What does that really mean, anyway? Good writing and speaking should clarify, but all "corporate speak" does is hide meaning. And I think employees see right through that, anyway, and think that if they can't understand what you're saying, you're hiding something. Also, if people are translating this stuff into other languages, corporate...speak...does... not...translate. Uh, Matt, you're not going to write a Vision Statement for this, are you?
Posted by: Margaret | September 27, 2006 at 11:55 AM
You know I'm with you on this... breadth... not only can I not easily pronounce it, I also had to explain what it meant to my mom.
Posted by: Christine Flores | September 26, 2006 at 11:47 AM