Monday, November 06, 2006

Management speak from the journalists?

The BBC have been drawing our attention towards some of the common management sayings which many of us will have come across at some point or another.

If its not 'joined up thinking' or 'running it up the flagpole' then I'm sure most of us will have been encouraged to try 'thinking outside the box' or even somehwere up in the 'blue sky'.

A report from the CBI tells us that when we hear these (and other) sayings, we lose confidence in the speaker, it seems that clichés 'blight' us all and make us feel that maybe we aren't hearing anything new after all.

The BBC's article may be found here but as per usual, it got me thinking...

In the business of journalism, clichés are commonplace. Its a 'bid' for this or a 'mercy dash' for that, How many times have we been told of 'crisis talks' where deals are being 'hammered out' or about someone who 'sustains fatal injuries', surely they mean, die?

The BBC are certainly well aware how clichés generally make audiences 'tune out' and that most of us don't really hear past them at all.

They have commissioned a guide which you can download for yourself and it makes quite an amusing read too.

Most of us use clichés quite sparingly and will even apologise before using one, but certainly here in the UK, its clear to anyone who reads through the guide, the message hasn't got through to those who keep us up to date with the news, at all.

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