Idiot Speak

It’s Monday. Time to hit the pause button on your personality and get ready for the first meeting because, for the next five days, we’ll be speaking the language of business. And, from bloated jargon and monotonous memos to syrupy slogans and deadly dull presentations, the official language of business is bull. The second we get to work, we join the masses who trade the wit and warmth of their voices for a corporate stamp of approval and the comfort of conformity.

This is not because of some evil corporate conspiracy. It’s actually the result of four traps, obscurity, anonymity, hard sell, and tedium, that transform us from funny, honest, and engaging weekend people to boring business stiffs.

But for you, this epidemic of bull and boredom is a real opportunity. All those human beings who trudged to work Monday morning want something better. They don’t want disclaimers, nonpromises, sugar-coated news, or canned speeches. They want someone to capture their imagination, stir their enthusiasm, and tell them the truth. And once you learn to recognize and rise above the four traps, you can be that voice they’re looking for.

If you find the above introduction to be entertaining, informative and funny, I have a great book for you – Why Business People Speak Like Idiots. I’ve been listening on my way back and forth to work, occasionally swerving in the traffic lanes due to chuckles from the book.  This is a book for those who want to climb the corporate ladder, communicate effectively, but refuse to check their personality at the door. Here’s the audiobook on Audible. The book is enlightening and frequently very funny. If you find Dilbert at all amusing, you’ll like this book. (By the way, I’ve used Audible for years for audiobooks, so you might be interested in it, as well.)

Steve Jobs

“There is something in the air today.” With those words, Jobs opened Macworld. By doing so, he set the theme for his presentation and hinted at the key product announcement—the ultrathin MacBook Air laptop. Take some lessons from a master showman. Here’s an interesting top 10 tips to make presentations as well as Steve Job.