Anyone Got a Fly Swatter?

My aging yellow Toyota Corolla laboured up the hill. Any attempt to change gears was met by a growling – and a strange loose sensation under my clutch foot. What was happening? I had no idea. The only thing I knew was that my car wasn’t going anywhere fast. I parked and walked to the nearest service station. Fortunately, they had a mechanic. Unfortunately, he spoke a language that was totally foreign to me.

I knew nothing about cars. I didn’t really want to know anything about cars. What I wanted was someone to use words I could understand. Yet, gradually, after three mechanics, I finally understood what I needed to say in order to get what I was after. I strode confidently into the fourth mechanic’s workshop, huffed a bit, puffed a bit and spewed forth a couple of sentences that meant nothing to me, yet clearly rang bells with my service provider.

Sadly, this is not a lonely tale. Every day, every hour, every minute, potential customers are repelled by these words. And don’t be fooled; you might think you’re safe, yet they’re everywhere; lurking on street corners, websites and even the humble brochure. They can make the author’s chest puff with pride. And the reader’s brow crease with confusion. Yet they’re catchy; sometimes even tuneful. And once you have a couple, they seem to breed like uncontrollable rabbits. They are buzzwords; phrases, acronyms and words confined to a particular industry or even business.

One organization I worked for had so many acronyms that were used so liberally, any newcomers needed a translator before they could hope to do their job. Yet within a month, they too could speak in sentences made up of lots of letters, a couple of verbs and a hell of a lot of dots.

Why do we attach so much value to buzzwords? It’s human nature to want to be a part of something bigger and grander than yourself. And buzzwords can certainly grant us entrée into otherwise closed circles. They can make us feel like we’re on the same page or speaking the same language; they make us feel as though we belong.

So what do buzzwords have to do with copywriting? Unfortunately, quite a bit. Just as buzzwords create camaraderie between people who use them, they also isolate those who don’t.

It’s probably very healthy to think of buzzwords as a barrier between those ‘in-the-know’ and those ‘out-of-the-know’.

Let’s make that a catchy equation: Buzzword = Barrier

Consider my car problem. As a customer, I felt that these mechanics were talking at me, not with me. My money was precious to me. I couldn’t afford to give it to someone I didn’t trust was telling me the truth. I needed to engage a mechanic who cared that I felt comfortable; someone that took the trouble to use analogies that I could understand; someone who didn’t dismiss me as an ‘unknowing female’ but who looked upon me as a ‘valued customer’.

‘Avoid buzzwords and jargon’ is one of the first rules of copywriting. Yet, we’re all guilty of being caught up in the hype they create. We praise these few words as encapsulating exactly what we want to say with scant regard for what our potential customer might be reading.

So how do you eradicate buzzwords?
1. Get someone who knows nothing about your industry, products or services to read your copy and identify words they don’t understand.

2. Analyse what the word really means to you. For example, ‘killer copy’ doesn’t actually cause death. It’s well-written, persuasive copy that builds better relationships, incites more action and sells more product.

3. Look at the words you’ve used in your analysis and put some of those into your copy. Remember, copy should be friendly and conversational.

4. Turn your description of the buzzword into benefits for the customer. For example, ‘killer copy’ might become: Increase your sales. Enhance your image. Improve your bottom line.

5. Consider using analogies that your readers will understand. Translate your concept into their life experiences. Empathise with them in terms that mean something to them.

So next time you’re writing copy keep a fly swatter handy to squash all those pesky buzzzzzzzzzwords.

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They played.
They came seventh.
They celebrated.

I admit it. I am a sports nut. Bring on the pizza and beer, the footy, the netball, the swimming, yes even the lawn bowls.

And sport is a great analogy for life in your own business. As business owners, we hang off the words of the business world’s great cheerleaders. Bigger! Better! Stronger! Faster! We’re told to set Big Hairy Audacious Goals; to focus! Focus! Focus! And expected to succeed beyond what’s physically, emotionally and mentally possible.

So this week’s inspiration doesn’t come from a gold medalist; or even a top five finisher. It comes from those sportsmen and women whose lofty heights are simply to compete and revel in the experience.

I’m sure any non-Kiwis who went to the Rugby 7s finals on Friday night will agree that the highlight of the evening was the match between Kenya and Tonga . This was a play-off for 7 th position. The prize–bragging rights and a crystal bowl. Kenya won the game 26-12.

And boy, were they ever ecstatic! I’m not sure if it was part of the official program, yet they did a victory lap. And not just any victory lap. They formed a circle and did a foot-lifting dance. They made a wedge and did a choreographed routine reminiscent of ‘Remember the Titans’. They high-fived the crowd. They signed autographs.

The Tongans, not to be left out of the crowd adulation, also joined the fun. Half-way round the Telstra Dome, they stripped off their shirts and did a SIPI TAU . The cheering was deafening!

Both teams moved further around the arena and repeated their performances. The on-going rugby match was almost forgotten. As the two teams neared the players exit, they joined forces.

Kenyans and Tongans formed a circle and performed the Kenyan dance together. Then both teams stripped to their waists, faced an erupting crowd and did a final SIPI TAU together.

As we go through our business journey, let’s remember that our greatest victories are not necessarily found when we’re at the top; they’re the minor triumphs along the way; the daily successes, that bring us joyful, yet private celebrations.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported Kenyan Captain, Victor Simiyu as saying, “It’s been a religious experience. You cannot go out on to the pitch and believe you can't win. You have to believe it inside you . . . We are strong lads. We humbly believe we can take on the world."

Humbly believe you can take on the world.

Saying to Soar by

If you can walk, you can dance; if you can talk, you can sing.

Traditional Zimbabwe saying

Email: mandy@talkingturkey.com.au
Web: www.talkingturkey.com.au

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