My Top Communication Pet Peeves

Argh! Don’t you just hate it when you find yourself and others who know better making common communication mistakes? My theory is that so much of what’s out there now is poorly written that our writer’s ear gets numbed. Here are my top communication pet peeves and tips on how to avoid letting them sneak into your behavior change messages.

Insider Talk

Arcane acronyms and jargon can seem self-explanatory when you’re spending most of your time with others in your inner circle. But outside in the wider world, few will understand what you’re trying to say. I recently witnessed bewilderment and frustration at a board meeting when a government guest speaker referred to his and other government agencies and programs only by acronyms for nearly ten minutes — until finally someone interrupted to ask if English could be used to explain what he was talking about.

This error can carry extra weight if you are seeking to inspire social change. Studies indicate, for example, that ‘EPA’ has become a trigger-acronym viewed more negatively than its namesake, “Environmental Protection Agency.”

Tip: Stop using industry acronyms and jargon, and when it cannot be avoided, define the term the first time it is used.

Passive Voice

If change and action is what you are after, be direct and clear about who did what to whom. Politicians like to use passive voice to obscure who is taking the action or who is responsible. Ronald Reagan famously said, “Mistakes were made,” when referring to the Iran-Contra scandal. Passive sentences aren’t incorrect; it’s just that they often aren’t the best way to phrase your thoughts. Sometimes passive voice is awkward and other times it’s vague. Passive voice is also usually wordy, so you can tighten your writing if you replace passive sentences with active. (The climate is being warmed vs. We are warming our climate.)

Third-Person Impersonal

Instead of “the government” or “the climate,” try “our government” and “our climate.”
Switch to pronouns like our, we, us, you, and your to make concepts less abstract and paint
people into the picture.

Unnecessary Big Words

Intellectual or technical words get your point across, but can leave the impression you’re trying to show off your vocabulary rather than communicate with others. There’s a reason newspapers are written at high school reading level. Weave descriptive, short strong words into your writing and you’ll notice a big difference.

The stories we tell are important; as are the words we choose, the symbols we evoke, and the metaphors we draw on to tell them. Tell your stories well.