You Speak & Write Like Shit. Read This.
“A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts. The point is that the process is reversible. Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble.”
George Orwell
Yes, you do speak & write like shit.
And so do I, but I'm trying to quit.
But this isn't about language evolving - where meanings change, or new meanings are introduced.
I, for example, embrace txt speech. It serves a purpose in the right context - it allows ppl 2 txt quickly and efficiently.
English is a living language - our dictionaries reflect usage, and new usage is often good.
No, this is about nervous ticks that add un-necessary padding. Using long words instead of short words. Incorrectly used phrases repeated so often as to lose any meaning - that actively become annoying; that distract from the point being made.
These problems reflect a disorganised, lazy mind. They are inefficiencies. They inhibit understanding.
This is the increasing[citation needed] misuse of language, about diluting meaning, about using long complex words over short simple words, about using more words not fewer, about complexity over simplicity, about inelegance and the copying of lazy speech patterns.
The best writers like, say, Shakespeare, Hemingway or Orwell, cram extraordinary meaning into beautiful, short, efficient sentences.
They avoid cliche's and verbiage; which we find everywhere. In podcasts, on TV, in emails, in Terms & Conditions, in 'quality' newspapers, in academia, in business.
The Cleverer You Think Your Writing Is - The Worse It Is
Replay a sentence in your head without the verbiage, and it always sounds better.
Example from a podcast
"A law clerk is basically a student who assists a lawyer"
or
"A law clerk is a student who assists a lawyer"
"basically" makes you pause and muddies your understanding.
"So they aren't a student, they are just something similar to a student - I wonder how they are different?"
Removing "basically" brings sharp clarity, lowering the mental load and freeing brain cycles for the following words.
"They are a student - I get it - move on brain"
Example from UK Train Station
"This station is monitored by CCTV for the purposes of security and safety management"
or
"This station has CCTV for your safety and security"
Shorter, more punchy, fewer filler words, 'management' why on earth introduce a complex concept like that? This has 'the official tone' written all over it (reference book "Revising Prose") - where long pompous speech is seen as more 'official' and expected. In reality it just clouds understanding.
Using too many words, or the wrong words, increases our cognitive load - and decreases our understanding. Rather than processing the concepts you are trying to convey - we are processing your overly long, inappropriate or incorrect language.
Want to be a better communicator? Read on...
We've all done some of the below. If you want to be a better writer or speaker; stop.
Literally
The purpose of this word is to prevent confusion about whether you're talking figuratively or literally.
It should not be used for emphasis, as a nervous tick word, or to demonstrate how clever you are.
Think. As with all verbiage ask yourself; if I remove this word will people still understand what I mean? If yes, remove it.
Instances where people might not be clear are virtually non existent so just stop using this dead cliched word now. Literally.
Ironically
Like a certain singer, you think you understand what irony is, but you don't. Stop using it.
Verbiage Intros
Just remove these, the sentence will have more impact and lose no meaning....
“Basically”
“Essentially”
“At this time”
All Verbiage
“Build *out*”
‘Out’ is Verbiage.
“Each and every”
Pick one; it’s tautology.
"The fact of the matter is..."
Because usually when you talk it doesn't involve facts?
"To be honest..."
You usually lie?
"I think that..."
We know you think that, it's you talking.
"Having read and evaluated the material printed in this report I think that"
Just tell us what you think.
The Initial So
A huge new phenomenon. Starting the beginning of an answer to a question with 'soooo '. Harry Shearer has a whole section of 'Le Show' dedicated to this.
Like
“That is like totally like so like cool and shit.”
Like stop idiot.
Nothing Worse Than X
Yeah - childhood AIDS is worse than whatever you were going to say - along with most diseases.
Write Less
Write 1000 words - then condense it to 500 without losing meaning. Then 250. Then 125.
Use shorter, simpler, commonly understood words
> Avoid buzzwords
> Avoid cliche's
“He was working his fingers to the bone so at the end of the day his hard working family could stop using cliches on the international stage.”
No used like yes.
"X is Y"
"No, totally, I agree"
This is a bizarre trend. Somebody will start agreeing by saying 'no' instead of 'yes'. Not only is it distracting it's illogical and potentially confusing.
Humble Brag
People often over use this - and misuse it when they just mean brag. Brady from the 'Hello Internet' podcast is a prime offender.
Does that make sense? Ya get me? Know what I mean?
This demonstrates neediness, specially if done frequently. It also sounds ridiculous if you say 'does that make sense' after something that isn't complex. If you don't want to look like a needy imbecile just stop; does that make sense? Hi @spacekatgal
Speak TO that - when you mean speak ABOUT that
“X = Y”
“Well, I can't speak to that”
No you can't - because X = Y is a concept, and concepts don't have ears or brains. However, you can speak ABOUT a concept, so why don't you do that?
Wet mouth
When people seem to enjoy what they're talking about a bit too much, you get that awful lip smacking wet sound. Very distracting. cc @tferriss @imyke
Saying He or She - when gender isn't relevant
This is very distracting and jarring. It makes the reader confused and ask "is the gender relevant?". Use 'they' instead - even it if is technically incorrect, I think its clarity is superior.
Passive voice
"Decisions were made that are now being re-evaluated"
By whom? Take responsibility.
Legalese
Verbiage laws & legal documents don't serve the people - they should be written concisely and simply.
Kill the politicians. Kill the lawyers.
Why It Matters
The purpose of writing and speaking is to efficiently convey information.
Clarity matters. Verbiage kills clarity.
Writing clearly and concisely gives you an advantage in a world full of waffly, impenetrable crap.
Speaking well makes you engaging and informative - not annoying, boring or vague.
Writing & speaking touch almost every facet of life; they're super important.
Further Reading
Politics and the English Language, George Orwell
On Writing Well, William Zinsser
Revising Prose, Richard A Lanham
More Verbiage Examples
BBC Video not working:
"It appears your network is not available at this time"
What a load of waffly shit.
"It appears" & "at this time" are verbiage
This says it all:
"Network Unavailable"
or
"Connection Problem" may be even better.
"Tweets are famously 140 characters, and the customer service team is going to study those characters to figure out how to solve this problem."
@jason
Famously? Characters is repeated. Customer Service Team - very complex un-necesasry concept. 90% substanceless. Trying to be clever.
"Twitter are working out how to fix their trolling problem."
Simple, concise.
The Official Tone
The book “Revising Prose” by Richard A. Lanham, introduces the concept of “The Official Tone”. This is one of the main causes of verbiage. An example:
"To re-iterate my earlier points I think that in this environment it is incumbent on the actors involved in the procedure to be both focussed and engaged in the processes required to implement the standards based approach all stake holders have both evaluated and endorsed as part of the greater framework all stake holders and actors have agreed is the optimal solution to what has become a long drawn out process that ultimately has lead to many decisions being made in both the private and public sectors both together and separately leading to a completely empty outcome."
Academia loves this kind of long non-sensical writing. It is somehow worn as a badge of honour to show prowess in a particular field by confusing civilians.
The reverse is true, it is a badge of shame. If your work is good enough plain, clear, concise English is the best way to convey it to others. Language like this makes me think your arguments are weak - and your brain confused.
