Simple Is Better
7:22 am 05/04/06
I’m sure many of you already grind your teeth and wince whenever you hear the following phrases, but for those of you who haven’t yet learned to speak simply, here are a few tips:
Do not use the phrase “skill set” — just say “skills.”
Do not say “price point” — just say “price.”
Don’t try to get fancy by saying “thunderstorm activity” — just say “thunderstorms.”
As our friend over at Deliverance notes, “plain talk is easily understood.”
Sorry, Dave, but ‘price point’ has its place in my job-world, where it’s used as a benchmark for a lot of decisions.
But I wouldn’t use it in casual conversation.
I know you lived in Oklahoma once and are probably familiar with Gary England. He’s good about not using the ol’ “Thunderstorm activity.” He uses the more Okie correct “a few thunnerstorms.”
Ah, yes — Gary England — one of the true “mainstays” in tornado coverage. IIRC, he had a hand in developing the first Doppler radar in the early/mid 70s, too.
‘Skill set’ is perfectly acceptable. When you speak of a ’skill set,’ you are referring to a bundle of skills required to adequately perform a specific function. You can have tons of skills, but if they are not focused towards an objective, then they are merely skills.
I detest buzzwords. In my mind, anyone using buzzwords is automatically relegated to the “might be faking real intelligence” category.
Especially “paradigm.”