“Veni, vidi, vici.” – Julius Caesar knew the power of a strong verb: “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
Translate that into business bullsh*t and you’ll get something like, “I was on the ground, I conducted a high level review of the situation, and after engaging all stakeholders [because you always have to engage stakeholders, even though no one ever specifies or knows what that means] I made the case for acquisition of the asset.”
It’s ludicrous how “boardroomese” can obscure the meaning of and remove all energy from the simplest utterances.
The secret to punchy writing is in verbs – good old-fashioned “doing words”. They are more descriptive than adjectives and adverbs, and they keep things tight and clear.
If you want to write clearly, use precise, evocative verbs. Did you walk? Or did you dawdle, scurry, totter, amble, saunter, stroll, dash or scamper? There’s not an adverb in sight there, but each of those verbs has a very specific meaning.
Pick the right verbs and you’ll bring immediate energy, energy and impact to your writing.
SHARE TO