06 Nov Towards zero gaffe emissions
A few years ago an aspiring Prime Minister on the campaign trail famously left minders groaning and journalists tittering when he pronounced that “No one, however smart, however well educated, however experienced, is the suppository of all wisdom.” Ouch.
Word stuff-ups on this scale are easy enough to spot and, for most of us, easy enough to avoid. And if they do slip through, they’re usually pretty good for a giggle.
It’s the less obvious slipups that can really cause trouble. When you choose the not-quite-right word, the accidentally ambiguous expression, the unfortunate juxtaposition. Something that doesn’t cause your audience to laugh out loud, but does distract them from your message or, even worse, deliver a different message.
Fast forward to November 2016, and the Victorian State Premier’s media conference in response to the imminent closure of the Hazelwood Power Station and consequent loss of 750 jobs. In a prepared statement the politician rather unfortunately offered to support the workers as they transitioned “away from these jobs at the Hazelwood station into a period of unemployment”, hoping that “we can make that transition a little easier”. Despite the very best of intentions on the part of the Premier, his message is packaged in language that turns it into an own goal. What worker wants to be “transitioned” out of their job and into unemployment? The thing any retrenchee wants most of all is help to get a new job, pay the mortgage, and keep their family together. And what the government is offering is … help to get a new job, pay the mortgage, and keep their family together. “Transitioning to unemployment” be damned – the conversation is “transitioning beyond unemployment”.
All the right stuff was there in the Premier’s original sentiment, but it got derailed by his words. Very little change would have been required to the wording to prevent that derailment. But then; as we know, very small changes can make a very big difference.
At WordCaddy we specialise in the small changes that make the big difference.
WordCaddy. In your own (best) words.
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