Are they getting you? 17 April 2009
Quilt or duvet. The two words really have created controversy. A friend and I still have unresolved issues about which one is the right word for a bed cover…Whether that’s a simple case of the north-south divide in action, the reality is that finding the right words can be tricky. Some words just feel correct and others don’t. On a business level, the choice between one word and another can change the way you communicate. What’s your copy saying?
“Are you receiving me?”
I call it robot language. It’s as stilted and automated as a railway vending machine – and about as enticing. Formal – words – bolted – into – complex – clunky – sentences. It’s a great way of making people work as hard as possible to hear you.
“Do you get me?”
There’s the message you’ve got and the message you’re sending out. Use off-key words and you can skew what you’re trying to tell your audience.
“Are you in or out?”
Words can include or exclude. Like body language, warm, open words welcome people and closed circles of jargon shut them out.
Want them to get you? Say it with words. Oh, and Sam? The word is duvet.
Written by Camilla Zajac
Camilla Zajac is an award-winning copywriter dedicated to uncovering what’s exciting and unique about organisations and empowering them to communicate that with impact. Learn more about copywriting services from Green Light Copywriting.
