2. Barriers to effective use of
language : Avoiding Clichés
Why effectiveness of language is important ?
What is a cliché?
Origin and hidden meanings.
Types of cliche's.
How to handle cliches.
Examples of famous cliches.
Handy guide to avoid cliches.
3. “Don't use words too big for the subject.
Don't say infinitely when you mean very;
otherwise you'll have no word left when you
want to talk about something really infinite.”
C.s.lewis
4. The miscommunication gap
Susan Washburn
– Results of poor communication and language in business
o Damaged relationships.
o Loss of productivity.
o Inefficiency and rework.
o Conflict.
o Missed opportunities.
o Schedule slippage.
o Wasted resources & unclear requirements.
5. What are
clichés?
– Clichés are words and phrases that have been used so often
that they're no longer very interesting or effective. They may
have started out as colourful, inventive phrases, like 'as sick
as a parrot', but they've been picked up and used so widely
and indiscriminately that they've lost their impact and
become stale.
– Clichés are part of our everyday speech—we often don't
realize that we're using them. They also occur especially
frequently in certain types of writing (such as journalism) or
areas of activity such as sport, business, or politics.
– E.g At the end of the day; British informal When everything
is taken into consideration:
– at the end of the day I’m responsible for what happens in the
school
A cliché is an expression, idea,
or element of an artistic work
which has become overused to
the point of losing its original
meaning or effect, even to the
point of being trite or irritating,
especially when at some earlier
time it was considered
meaningful or novel.
6.
7.
8. Origin and hidden meanings of
cliché
– The word cliché is drawn from the French language. In printing, "cliché" was
the sound a printing plate cast from movable type made when it was used.
This printing plate is also called a stereotype.When letters were set one at a
time, it made sense to cast a phrase used repeatedly, as a single slug of metal.
"Cliché" came to mean such a ready-made phrase.
– Context driven meanings. " do you think I am made of money?" Implies that
you don't have money. "I feel as if I am made of money " suggests just the
opposite.
– Interpretation driven meanings. " iIn experience comes wisdom and with
wisdom comes experience." Is not necessarily accurate in every case.
9. Types of cliche
– Figurative cliches
– It's raining cats and dogs mean it is raining heavily.
– A figurative idiom can become a cliché if used often in a language.
– Literal cliches.
– A literal cliché would be "to tell the truth"
– In the blink of an eye…literally means fast like an eye blink speed.
10. What's wrong in using cliches?
– When you're writing on a more formal level, it's better to try to avoid using
clichés. They tend to annoy people, especially if they're overused, and they
may even create an impression of laziness or a lack of careful thought. Some
people just tune out when they hear a cliché, and so they may miss the point
that you're trying to make.
– Clichés can be a barrier to communication and clear expression.
– Clichés can often be reduced to just one or two words that convey your
meaning in a clearer or more original way.
– Clichés can sometimes be removed completely without the meaning of a
sentence being affected.
11. Handling or avoiding cliches
– 1. Think about what the cliché actually means
– Think about the basic sense of the expression: what does it actually mean?
You'll probably find that some key words come to mind either as synonyms or
as ‘ingredients’ of the overall meaning. Now you can:
– use one of these key words to replace the cliché altogetherr.
– look them up in a thesaurus to find alternatives.
– If you find it difficult to come up with the basic meaning, try looking the cliché
up in a dictionary. Then you can use the words in the dictionary definition as a
starting point for finding suitable synonyms in a thesaurus.
12. Decide whether you actually need
the expression at all
– Quite a lot of clichés are just long-winded ‘fillers’ – i.e., words or
groups of words used just to maintain the flow of speech, or to
pad out a speech or piece of writing. If you identify a clichéd
expression of this sort, you can just remove it altogether. Wordy,
overused phrases might increase the length of a piece of writing,
but they won't improve its general quality.
13. Rewrite your sentence
Original sentence Meaning or key
words
Suggestion for action Rewritten sentence
In this day and age
websites are one of
the most significant
public faces of any
organization .
Nowadays
Today
Use one of the key
words instead, or
Look them up.
Today websites are
the most significant
public faces of any
organization .
In the closing scenes
the film comes full
circle.
Return to a previous
position or situation
Reword along the
lines of the meaning.
In the closing scenes
the film returns to
the idea which with
it began.
15. – 1. It’s a growth opportunity. Wickedly hard assignment that you’re probably not ready
for.
– 2. Stretch goals. For some reason this one always conjured up for me the image of an
attractive aerobics instructor in a leotard.
– 3. Thrown under the bus. As in (excitedly): “Whoa, did you see Johnson throw Dorfman
under the bus in that Product Development meeting?” Have you ever tried to actually
throw someone? (Especially someone as large as many executives?) Much less under
a moving vehicle? It’s really hard.
– 4. Headwinds. Most often used by a CFO or CEO: “We faced strong headwinds in the
first quarter.” Generally precedes the announcement of disappointing, possibly
disastrous, financial results.
– 5. “He’s a real crackerjack!” May be used to describe an executive brought in to turn
around a failing operation. Actually means he’s ruthless and conscienceless, perhaps
psychopathic. Employees, take cover…
– 6.Rightsizing. A logical, inevitable-sounding way of saying staff is about to be slashed
and a bloodbath will ensue.
