Avoid buzzwords in favour of plain English
Avoid buzzwords in favour of plain English by Tim North
buzzword (noun): A word or phrase … that usually sounds
important or technical and is used primarily to impress
laypersons.
www.dictionary.com
I’m a big believer in keeping writing simple. Long winded or
pompous writing is harder for readers to understand. Also, it
usually leaves them with a poor impression of the writer. So who
benefits from it? No one.
Deloitte Consulting’s “Bullfighter” web site provides many
examples of buzzword-laden nonsense taken from actual
publications. Can you decipher any of these monstrosities?
A future-proof asset that seamlessly empowers your mission
critical enterprise communications.
A value-added, leverageable, global knowledge repository.
Repurposeable, leading-edge thoughtware that delivers results
driven value.
This assumes an even greater importance when we repurpose
global value to jump-start scoping and visioning.
We excel at the dissemination of scalable, extensive, global
initiatives and their socialisation throughout an entire
enterprise.
Would you buy a used car from someone who wrote like that? 
Good writing isn’t about demonstrating your vocabulary. It’s
about communicating your message. The examples above don’t do
this. So instead of writing that’s filled with buzzwords, aim for
plain English instead.
But just what is plain English?
The term “plain English” isn’t defined on a stone tablet
anywhere, so it comes down to finding a definition that seems
clear and comes from a credible source. Here are a few that I
found. See what you think of them:
We define plain English as something that the intended
audience can read, understand and act upon the first time
they read it. Plain English takes into account design and
layout as well as language.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/introduction.html
A plain English document uses words economically and at a
level the audience can understand. Its sentence structure is
tight. Its tone is welcoming and direct. Its design is
visually appealing. A plain English document is easy to read
and looks like it’s meant to be read.
http://www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf (p. 5)
Let’s get rid of some myths first. It’s not baby-language,
and it’s not language that is abrupt, rude or ugly. Nor is it
language that puts grammatical perfection ahead of clarity.
It doesn’t involve over-simplifying or ‘dumbing down’ the
message so that it loses precision, force or effect.
It’s any message, written with the reader in mind, that gets
its meaning across clearly and concisely.
http://www.wordcentre.co.uk/page8.htm