“He closed the door loudly.”
“He slammed the door.”
You’ll find those sentences in Stephen King’s book, On Writing. He said the road to hell is paved with adverbs…we agree.
What’s his beef with adverbs? What’s ours? It’s about clarity and impact. There are all kinds of words you can use, but few of the right ones.
Words matter. Words are the symbols for the meaning you hope to create for yourself and the people around you. It’s how you connect, relate to each other and collaborate.
Adverbs are descriptive words. They describe (add colour to) verbs. They literally add word count, when we know it’s already hard to get someone to read. They’re also lazy. Use a better word. Have a better impact.
Is your organization guilty of using adverbs? Which statements are more likely to show up in your communications?
- “We will respond to your inquiries promptly and efficiently.”
or… “You can expect a response within 24 hours.”
- “We strongly believe in empowering our employees to succeed.”
or… “Our employees are empowered to succeed.”
- “We are constantly innovating to stay ahead in our industry.”
or… “We lead the industry with our R&D efforts.”
Have a very good…ahem…an excellent afternoon!
