Sound like you

What is it with businesspeople trying to sound big? The stiff language, the

formal announcements, the artificial friendliness, the legalese, etc. You read this

stuff and it sounds like a robot wrote it. These companies talk at you, not to you.

This mask of professionalism is a joke. We all know this. Yet small companies

still try to emulate it. They think sounding big makes them appear bigger and

more "professional." But it really just makes them sound ridiculous. Plus, you

sacrifice one of a small company's greatest assets: the ability to communicate

simply and directly, without running every last word through a legal-and PRdepartment sieve.

There's nothing wrong with sounding your own size. Being honest about who

you are is smart business, too. Language is often your first impression--why start

it off with a lie? Don't be afraid to be you.

That applies to the language you use everywhere--in e-mail, packaging,

interviews, blog posts, presentations, etc. Talk to customers the way you would

to friends. Explain things as if you were sitting next to them. Avoid jargon or any

sort of corporate-speak. Stay away from buzzwords when normal words will do

just fine. Don't talk about "monetization" or being "transparent;" talk about

making money and being honest. Don't use seven words when four will do.

And don't force your employees to end e-mails with legalese like "This e-mail

message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain

confidential and privileged information." That's like ending all your company emails with a signature that says, "We don't trust you and we're ready to prove it

in court." Good luck making friends that way.

Write to be read, don't write just to write. Whenever you write something,

read it out loud. Does it sound the way it would if you were actually talking to

someone? If not, how can you make it more conversational?

Who said writing needs to be formal? Who said you have to strip away your

personality when putting words on paper? Forget rules. Communicate!

And when you're writing, don't think about all the people who may read your

words. Think of one person. Then write for that one person. Writing for a mob

leads to generalities and awkwardness. When you write to a specific target,

you're a lot more likely to hit the mark.