Communications 3/8/2013

I’m Proposing Drastic Budget Cuts — To HR’s Vocabulary

When I wrote papers back in high school and college, I’d use my handy thesaurus to replace my simple “one dollar” vocabulary with “ten dollar” words. I thought it made me sound smart. I thought it would impress my teachers.

Today, I’m more impressed with simple language than complex. Especially when writing about Human Resource issues like pay, performance and benefits.

That’s why I’m proposing drastic budget cuts to HR’s vocabulary.

Scan your copy with a keen eye. Slash out industry terminology, acronyms and complex terms. Next, narrow in on words with multiple syllables. Could you say the same thing in simpler terms? I bet you could.

To get you started, the following is a partial list of simple alternatives to complex terms recently posted by Laura Hale Brockway, author of the blog, Impertinent Remarks.

Advantageous — helpful
Commence — begin, start
Commensurate — equal
Consolidate — combine
Disseminate — issue, send
Endeavor — try
Facilitate — ease, help
Inception — start
Implement — carry out
Leverage — use
Optimize — perfect
Prescribed — required
Proficiencies — skills
Regarding — about
Remuneration — reward, payment
Subsequently — after or later

Remember, your job isn’t to impress folks…it’s to communicate, for heaven’s sake! So put your copy on a budget. Let’s show the government how it’s done. (Which reminds me…exactly when did “sequester” become a noun?)

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