Communicators need to, well, better communicate.

I just read a great blog post by Diane Schwartz, a contributing writer for The PRNews Blog, and just had to share it. As professional communicators, it’s our job to better communicate professionally.  I’m guilty, as we all are, of slacking in my communication style.  However I’d have to agree with Ms. Schwartz’s take on some of “The Most Annoying Sayings.”

Posted August 3, 2012, she starts her post this way:  I personally despise, at the end of the day, when people drop the ball, because, at this moment in time, it is what it is. Just sayin.

I had to laugh (although I should probably cry) because I have used a few of those phrases more times than I’d like to admit.  She notes that in the above paragraph she included what she finds to be “the most annoying sayings and uttered by all of us at some point, though thankfully, rarely in one sentence.”

The reason so many people use these phrases is because they help us bridge our thoughts. These phrases also fill the silence – and as communicators, you know how much we dislike silence.  There is something to be said for “white space” in both creative work and in speech and conversation.   In her article, Ms. Schwartz’s asks, how many times have you heard an executive say “At the end of the day, we are going to….” Or, “I personally feel that this is the way forward.”  She continues by noting that, you can’t “impersonally feel” something unless you’re clinically insane. And, “at the end of the day” really means: I don’t know how to start this sentence but what I want to say is…

We are in the communications business and although none of us are perfect, we should at least attempt to perfect our use of the English language.  When you say to a client that you’re ‘anxious to present’ a new creative campaign to them, if I were the client I’d be worried.  Unless of course, you mean that you are ‘eager,’ or better yet, ‘excited.’  If you are in fact ‘anxious,’ I don’t believe correct grammar or a proficient grasp of the English language will help you!

Here are two great quotes to keep in mind during your next presentation or conversation:

‘It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak up and remove all doubt.” And more importantly, ‘The less you say the more people will remember.” Just sayin…