Why great employee engagement should be charged with meaning.
Language is a topic on everyone’s lips. Is it being downgraded, is it not what it was? Is there a right way to express yourself and a wrong? Grammar – does it add value, or is it a pedantic imposition?
Whether we like it or not, language is evolving, with new words being added to the dictionary. When we consider recent additions to the modern lexicon we tend to think of words like ‘twerk’, ‘meh’, ‘amazeballs’! The abbreviations, acronyms and slang words that are developing from the younger generation and through the increased use of social media.
But it’s not all dumbing down as some traditionalists might think. As our world develops, we need new words to describe it. Many words have been brought to life through technological developments; 40 years ago, we had no need for words like ‘bioprinting’, ‘data scientist’ and ‘e-cigarette’. (BTW, ‘twerk’ dates back to the 19th century, when it was used to refer to a “twisting or jerking movement”, and ‘meh’ was made famous by The Simpsons.)
There are many conflicting missives about how we’re supposed to use language; ‘We must speak in an active voice’, say some. ‘We shouldn’t use negative words’, say others. And for goodness sake, ‘we can’t be too colloquial!’. While it’s always useful to have some guidance about what’s correct and what isn’t, it’s not our driving force when it comes to getting your message across.
Most important to us is that language is fully charged with meaning. We use language to inspire, engage, and generate an emotional response from your colleagues. To do that, we take a personal approach to every piece of work we produce. We put ourselves in your readers’ shoes, find out what makes them tick, and aim to speak their language. If that means breaking a perceived grammatical rule or two, so be it.
