One of my favorite “Calvin and Hobbes” cartoons shows Calvin explaining to Hobbes how he enjoys writing assignments now that he’s realized that “the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity.” If you’ve ever attempted to bluff your way through a school final essay question, you know what he’s talking about. In fact, it’s my theory that Calvin and BS artists like him eventually become advertising copywriters.
Anyone who’s ever read Mad Magazine is well aware that the world of advertising has always had its popular and overdone buzzwords that sound snazzy but are often meaningless or deceptive. I suspect that in many cases, flowery corporate language and hackneyed cliches are used as a substitute for genuine knowledge. As times change so does the jargon, but the dubious practice of expository hype remains. Over the years I’ve seen the words come and go.
There was a time when one needed a certain skillset to be an effective team player who could multi-task in a fast-paced environment…provided, of course, that you could remain in the loop. Eventually this sort of terminology gave way to leveraging one’s assets into a robust business model in order to optimize one’s result-driven objectives. Nowadays I’ve noticed that everyone seems to be transforming business into something bigger, better, or more efficient. I think it might be today’s new and improved.
Nowhere is the effort to create I’ve-been-to-marketing-college corporate-speak more apparent than in company websites where the “About Us” and “Our Mission” type of pages are found. I’ve been surprised to see so many companies unable to effectively communicate what they do. Sure, they sound like they’re a big deal, brimming with cutting edge technologies and state of the art business solutions. But I can’t tell if they’re selling software or soft ice cream.
I have some advice for those who believe, as Calvin does, that the purpose of writing is to create “an intimidating and impenetrable fog.” Effective copywriting and editing is much more than overbearing words that sound impressive while explaining little. Phony embellishments can only impede your communication. Sometimes it’s tempting to use buzz words and popular phrases to give one’s prose a contemporary flavor. But such an approach can betray a lack of understanding of the subject you’re attempting to convey. Trendy expressions are easily overdone and can dilute the message.
Pretentious bluster is hardly a substitute for effective professional writing. Take it from someone who’s tried to BS his way through an essay or two. Leave the shovel at the manure pile where it belongs.