It’s spring cleaning time, and here are a few phrases you’ll never miss: “out-of-the-box thinkers,” “we sell solutions,” and “take a few minutes to learn more about us.”
But without buzz words, what would managers say? Tate Linden recommends they say what they know. (This drew a round of hear-hears from his recent audience, 50 or so managers who attend a monthly invitation-only Leadership Breakfast in Reston.)
They all support his basic idea. Leaders use words to make something “good” happen by influencing people—something that wouldn’t otherwise occur.
None of them, it seems, wants to talk funny. It’s just that organizations are complicated, people don’t always agree on what’s jargon and what’s genuine communications, and not everyone has the breadth of a Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway annual reports enthrall readers no matter what their tax bracket.
But everyone knows something worth communicating. Tate Linden’s company, STOKEFIRE, specializes in helping organizations find the right words to describe what they do (“we name stuff” is their tagline).
If you want to compose a product or program name, a tagline, a slogan, or any other combination of words that persuade, he recommends applying six tests to see if you’ve got the right stuff:
- Fidelity, that is, does your wording ring true? Can you back it up?
- If it’s a name, availability. Will you be the only “you” in your industry?
- Intangibles. Does it sound right? Is it memorable?
- Needs, probably the most important test of all. Are your words driving towards a purpose?
- Tangibles, specific measures for comparing alternatives (ease in pronunciation, for instance).
- Strategy. Will your words deliver strong business-related results?
That may seem like a lot of work just to come up with a name or a phrase. But the right one (“I have a dream …”) can last forever.
