Vivid business communication is not a phrase you see every day. Unfortunately, boring is more often the term associated with it.

• Posts have gone viral over the topic of boring business writing.
• Not exactly a reason for celebration.

Wouldn’t you prefer the word vivid attached to your business communication?

Vivid Business Communication

What do you think of when you hear the word vivid?

• The vivid imagination of a child?
• Vibrant colors of a macaw parrot?
• Breathtaking views of a beautiful sunset?

Do you have a clear picture in your mind? That is the power of vivid business communication.

So, what can you do to add a splash of vivid to your next communication? The following are a few tricks of the trade. Are you ready for a new palette?

 

Trick #1 – Apply figurative language.

Have you noticed how many rules exist in the corporate world? Some are sealed in the written form. Others apply because it’s “always been done that way.”

But who said business communication must be boring?

Word nerds (like me) know figurative language goes by many – dare I say – boring terms.

• Hyperbole, metaphor, metonym
• Personification, simile, synecdoche
• And many more

Despite its yawn-provoking terms, figurative language grabs words by the heels and shakes the boring into an early grave.

Picture a favorite action movie of yours. What made it so good? I bet more than a few of you would say the special effects. That is what puts the action in action movies.

Think of figurative language as the special effects for your business communication. It livens up the script by blowing up the boring.

Look at a few examples.

Boring – Business blogs should be well-written and interesting.
Better – Business blogs are a welcome mat, inviting readers to step inside your world. Valuable content makes them glad they opened your door.

Boring – The Excalibur12 delivers faster results.
Better – Win the battle over slow response time with the Excalibur12 – your secret weapon for faster results.

Boring – Good communication helps sales.
Better – Vivid business communication ignites the fuse on exploding sales results.

 

Trick #2 – Use your common sense(s).

This trick uses your five senses to create vivid business communication. Your audience will see, smell, touch, hear, and taste your words. Use a single sense or combine more than one.

See

Boring – Think carefully about ad placement.
Better – Popup ads that kidnap a page and hold your reader hostage are more annoying than enticing.

Smell

Boring – The cookbook has a good recipe for apple pie.
Better – Baked apples with a cinnamon hug waft invitingly from this popular recipe.

Touch

Boring – The smartphone is a good size.
Better – The smartphone fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.

Hear

Boring – The ad was too loud.
Better – The ad is a cymbal-crashing assault on your ears.

Taste

Boring – The vanilla and caramel ice cream tastes great.
Better – Warm caramel partners with cold, velvety vanilla in a sensual dance of flavor.

We interrupt this post for a food run. Okay, I’m back.

Think about your five senses in a literal context as well. The following are a few examples.

1. See –Use images, color, and clean formatting for a better visual.
2. Smell – Consider business gifts with pleasing scents like candles, flowers or food scents like lemon or vanilla.
3. Touch –Keep conference rooms at a comfortable temperature. Be aware of products with rough edges.
4. Hear –Refrain from automatic videos when someone accesses your site.
5. Taste –Treat your customers to a nice meal for your next meeting.

Trick #3 – Show, not tell.

If you are like me, you hate being preached to. And isn’t that what business communication feels like sometimes – preaching?

Become an unofficial (or official) resident of Missouri – the Show Me state.

• Instead of telling your readers (or preaching to them), show them.
• Showing readers can be descriptive (as in the first two tricks) or visual.

Be Specific

Vague statements lead to vague interpretations – or boredom. Be specific to improve interest and your credibility.

Boring – A lot of people are online all the time, so your chances are good for marketing.
Better – Bumping into your ideal client is easier than you think. Nearly 1/3 of U.S. adults admit being “almost constantly” online.

Get visual

We have become a very visual, less text world. Charts, images, infographics, and videos can satisfy our show me need. Pew Research illustrated the above stats in the graph shown below.

Mix in a 'show, not tell' approach for vivid business communication. Share on X

Final Fade Out

Three tricks of the trade are the magic behind vivid business communication.

1. Figurative language
2. Five senses
3. Show me

What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Share your trade secrets in Comments.

BigStock Photo Credit

Canva Credit

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Note: In 2015, SSB took a year-long alphabetic journey for better business communication. Each post contained an A-to-Z topic for creating better business communication. This ‘V’ post originally published on November 2, 2015, and this July 5, 2022 version updates it. The plan is to update each alphabetic post. Hopefully, it will not take a year to complete. 😊

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