Are you reaching for the right words? — Kelford Labs Daily

“If you care about being thought credible and intelligent, do not use complex language where simpler language will do.”

— Daniel Kahneman in Thinking, Fast and Slow

I’ve found two things to be true:

We think if we use big words other people will think we’re smart.

We think other people who use big words are trying to trick us.

Because the people we trust simplify, they don’t complicate.

Think about it: We don’t trust lawyers, doctors, plumbers, or painters who try to bamboozle us with big words or jargon, do we?

But when we go to write about our services, how often do we reach for the biggest or most obscure words we can find?

We need to put ourselves in our buyers’ shoes: Are they looking to be impressed or understood?

We can put away the impressive words, and find the ones that show we understand.

And we’ll be understood, too.

Kelford Inc. shows you the way to always knowing what to say. Marketing positions and messages for hands-on entrepreneurs.