My next webinar horror was more subtle. The presenter had a good delivery, was well-practiced and well-versed in his field. His problems? Using words that didn’t mean what he thought they meant, and an over-sensitivity to political correctness. At one point the poor man was trying to discuss personalizing products for customers. He was trying to use the word “discriminate” without actually saying it. When he finally uttered the word, he immediately followed it up with, “we should never discriminate.” I could hear him sweating.
In business, the way you verbally express yourself is the most powerful tool in your toolbox. Your words can often make or break a new deal or relationship. Restricting word whiskers improves your perceived competence. Restricting vocabulary however can limit your ability to communicate at the most basic level.
Certainly I’m first in line to say that respect for others should always be paramount in our speech. Where it stops for me is when it prevents me from using standard everyday speech. The list of off-limit words grows every day. You can’t say fat, but you can say obese and somehow that’s better. You can describe being a discriminating person but you can’t say discriminate. Hey, I’m a discriminating coffee drinker – does that make me bad?
In Rosalie Maggio’s book, The Bias-Free Word-Finder, words like nubile, curmudgeon and bruiser are considered "sexist." Bombshell (too "militaristic and violent”), Renaissance man ("conveys very little real information"), Big Brother and Deus ex machina (they’re masculine) are no-no’s as well. Have we become so hypersensitive and frightened of the Thought Police that we can’t effectively communicate?
Adults should be able to have honest and direct conversation about anything they wish, enjoying a variety of expressive words without fear. To speak clearly and plainly is a beautiful thing. An old adage written in 423 B.C. sums it up perfectly: “I call a fig a fig, and a spade a spade.”