Thereโs a platยญitยญude sickยญness in corยญporยญate writing.
Iโm a PR proยญfesยญsionยญal.
And I someยญtimes hate what I do for a living.
Most norยญmal people hate corยญporยญate bullยญshit. As a writer, I loathe those corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes with a feverยญish intensยญity. But my corยญporยญate brothยญers and sisยญters cling to them. And it seems as if itโs getยญting worse.
What can we do about this platยญitยญude sickness?
Here we go:
Symptoms of Platitude Sickness
Platitude Sickness: Trigger List
I hate corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes everyยญwhere I see them. I swear, a kitยญten dies every time.
โA platยญitยญude is a trite, meanยญingยญless, or proยญsaยญic stateยญment, genยญerยญally dirยญecยญted at quelling social, emoยญtionยญal, or cogยญnitยญive unease. The word derives from plat, the French word for โflat.โ Platitudes are geared towards presentยญing a shalยญlow, uniยญfyยญing wisยญdom over a difยญfiยญcult topยญic. However, they are too overยญused and genยญerยญal to be anyยญthing more than undirยญecยญted stateยญments with an ultiยญmately little meanยญingยญful conยญtriยญbuยญtion towards a soluยญtion.โ
Source: Wikipedia 1Platitude. (2023, December 9). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โPโlโaโtโiโtโude
Hereโs my โtrigยญger listโ of platitudes:
Getting rid of corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes is an uphill battle. They are such a waste of editยญorยญiยญal space and only lead straight to mediocrity.
Join the resistance!
Learn more: The Platitude Sickness: The Trash of Corporate Writing
Itโs Not My Fault, I Swear
As a corยญporยญate writer since 2005, one could easยญily assume I am responsยญible for at least two hunยญdred shitty press releases. But Iโm not, I swear.
Every time I present someยญthing to an organยญisaยญtion, I speak plainly. When I write, I always rewrite to avoid clichรฉs. I strive to add some bounce to my copyโโโif nothยญing else, to preยญvent tired and stale senยญtences that ring too familยญiยญar. 2At this point, I should point out that English is my second lanยญguage and that I do most of my writยญing in Swedish. Still, I strive to improve my busiยญness English.
I do my best to avoid platยญitยญude sickness.
But my efforts donโt always pay off.
While some organยญisaยญtions appreยญciยญate my efforts, a sizeยญable porยญtion of everything Iโve writยญten for cliยญents has passed through numerยญous filยญters before publication.
And the resยญult is nothยญing but a dwindยญling tirade of corยญporยญate cringe.
Not. My. Fault.
Oh, How I Loathe Corporate Cringe
Iโm not alone in being frusยญtrated. Weโre all exposed to corยญporยญate speak. These platยญitยญudes are everyยญwhere in marยญketยญing and communications.
And for some reasยญon, platยญitยญudes are becomยญing the go-to format for all corยญporยญate texts. Itโs getยญting worse, not better.
I someยญtimes think this is a pidgin lanยญguage for difยญferยญent busiยญness tribes. We fall back on corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes to let everyยญone know we belong in this money-makยญing space. Ensuring we belong to a comยญmunity is more importยญant than makยญing sense. 3Pidgin lanยญguages are a mixยญture of two or more lanยญguages, and they typยญicยญally develยญop when two groups in conยญtact with each othยญer canยญnot speak each othยญerยญโs lanยญguage. Many pidgin lanยญguages have evolved โฆ Continue readยญing
Itโs mindยญbogยญgling how many hours organยญisaยญtions spend proยญduยญcing utter garbage.
The โCarpe Diemโ Business Mafia on LinkedIn
Corporate platยญitยญudes are such a waste of editยญorยญiยญal space. Unfortunately, platยญitยญude sickยญness tends to do quite well on social media.
A text loaded with obviยญous stateยญments and no actuยญal subยญstance can still attract a lot of social engageยญment. People often hit that โLikeโ butยญton (emoji butยญton or whatever) without readยญing the linked article.
Yes, Iโm lookยญing at you, LinkedIn.
Itโs essenยญtial to have a strategy.
Always put the cusยญtomยญer first.
Be proยญactยญive and think long-term.
Publish epic content.
LinkedInโs โcarpe diemโ busiยญness mafia canยญโt get enough of that stuff, right?
Join the Resistance
Yes, getยญting rid of corยญporยญate platยญitยญudes is an uphill battle. There are so many filยญters and so many readยญers who donโt mind.
Still, there are no excuses for givยญing up. As comยญmuยญnicยญatยญors, weโre catchยญing peopleโs interest and makยญing it worth their time. As we fall deepยญer into the attenยญtion ecoยญnomy, relยญevยญance and subยญstance are the only things that can save us.
We might nevยญer win this fight, I admit. But even if we canยญโt win, we can at least make life a bit more difยญfiยญcult for everyยญone who comยญmits corยญporยญate BS.
So, how do you comยญbat platยญitยญude sickยญness in corยญporยญate communication?
Make it your misยญsion to find platยญitยญudes and desยญtroy them. And donโt let your colยญleagues get away with using them, either. As this becomes a rituยญal, youโll develยญop an โallergyโ to corยญporยญate platยญitยญudesโโโand removยญing them will make you feel better.
Welcome to the fight. Youโre in the army now.
Thank you. Please supยญport my blog by sharยญing artยญicles with othยญer comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions- and marยญketยญing proยญfesยญsionยญals. Please also conยญsider my PR serยญvices or speakยญing engageยญments.
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Annotations
1 | Platitude. (2023, December 9). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โPโlโaโtโiโtโude |
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2 | At this point, I should point out that English is my second lanยญguage and that I do most of my writยญing in Swedish. Still, I strive to improve my busiยญness English. |
3 | Pidgin lanยญguages are a mixยญture of two or more lanยญguages, and they typยญicยญally develยญop when two groups in conยญtact with each othยญer canยญnot speak each othยญerยญโs lanยญguage. Many pidgin lanยญguages have evolved into full-blown languages. |