More wisdom on corporate communication from John Simmons’ We, Me, Them & It - How To Write Powerfully for Business…
On the subject of ‘fanciful’, ‘playful’, ‘imaginative’, ‘passionate’ or ‘intellectual’ language and its use in business, John suggests that we should take a few risks. Loosen up, and say what you feel. John writes:
“More and more, [...]
When most businesses advertise they scream out the messages they want people to absorb, while doggedly ignoring any negative news, even if that negative news is what everyone’s actually talking about.
Advertising, for most companies, is a time for rampant propaganda. Corporations create new realities based on their desired vision of a world that orbits their [...]
Here’s what I mean. Below are two pieces of copy for a hammer:
Passive
This powerful hammer can strike nails into the toughest timber.
Active
This powerful hammer strikes nails into the toughest timber.
Pull back the smothering blanket
Using the active voice often shortens a piece of text. It also removes a layer of words that otherwise form a softening, [...]
“If you consciously restrict your vocabulary - and some companies do this - you end up with the linguistic equivalent of junk food…”
John Simmons - We, Me, Them & It
I’ve previously blogged about the importance of not dumbing-down corporate communications. It’s clearly a difficult balance to get right; I’m also a big fan of clear, [...]
A wise copywriter once said, “People buy holes, not drills”.
The point being, of course, that when someone buys a drill it’s because they want a hole. And that’s a crucial point. Because if you try to sell someone a drill it’s essential to remember that the most interesting points to entice a [...]
I recently finished reading John Simmons‘ book We, Me, Them & It - How to Write Powerfully for Business, and was delighted to read this:
“Instead of saying ‘We’re committed to quality’, say ‘We check everything’. It just means a little bit more.”
Now what Simmons is espousing is honesty and directness. This kind of frank language [...]