I love words and their meanings. Their origins. Their evolutions. I also love phrases and idioms. And I also loathe them. For example. I still recoil whenever I see the phrase \u2018reach out\u2019, although, critically, not as much as I used to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It makes me cringe a bit whenever I see it. And once I even said it, and then hated myself for days afterwards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five years ago, almost no one said this. The really interesting thing about this phrase is that it\u2019s almost universally accepted now by everyone (apart from a few dinosaurs like me). From social media companies to my kid\u2019s school to MPs \u2013 they\u2019re all reaching out all over the place. But how could this happen? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One thing about this phrase is it actually has a relevant meaning in our world. Even I can see that it\u2019s an apt description of what happens when you communicate over social media \u2013 you don\u2019t get something back all the time, you approach, \u2018put something out there\u2019 and see if you get a response or an answer. It\u2019s actually a great metaphor\/simile for the action of posting\/emailing with the hope that someone responds. So it works as a descriptor to capture an activity. It\u2019s of our time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s more than that. Once used it\u2019s initially a novelty. It cuts through and disrupts our normal ways of communicating. So you notice what\u2019s being said. You also form some views about the speaker; they\u2019re a leader, an innovator, a modern\/active person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, you might form the view that they\u2019re a bit of a fool. Or \u2018mutton dressed as lamb\u2019\/\u2019dad dancing at a disco\u2019 if it\u2019s used by the wrong person. But most people will see the user as a positive\u2026 and ease of communication and social proof will nudge the adoption. And then the phrase will get majority usage. It changes from emerging and aspirational to mainstream. So the people who use it will seem of \u2018us\u2019 bonding because of shared language. Excluding or positioning non-users as \u2018other\u2019 or laggards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course \u2013 we all forget that lots of the phrases we use probably went through similar adoption curves. I use the word \u2018workshop\u2019 all the time. But I\u2019ve just remembered this from 80s comedian Alexi Sayle who once said \u201canyone who uses the word \u2018workshop\u2019 and doesn\u2019t work in light engineering is a t*!t\u201d. So in days it was first used I was either an innovator or a t*!t\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when someone first used the phrase \u2018we need to change tack\u2019 \u2013 someone else must have thought; \u201cwe\u2019re not on a bloody ship, we\u2019re trying to decide whether to continue what we\u2019re doing or go to the pub\u2026\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve always re-purposed phrases from specific activities; sports, war, weather, sailing all adding to our armoury. Or locker. So how do we make use of this in research and marketing? It\u2019s definitely relevant for how brands communicate \u2013 if you\u2019re talking to youth audiences do you appear old if you use residual idioms? But is that worse that using terms that are too modern \u2013 back to Dad at Disco. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But tapping into emerging language in a way that helps communicate an idea better does have value (so for audiences that are growing up swiping and using VOD then language relating to this can help communicate outside of this context\u2026) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also important in how we communicate to clients or stakeholders (another term that\u2019s origins are based on a specific activity \u2013 this time gambling, although the exact origin seems to be a bit unclear). If your stakeholders are talking about \u2018surfacing\u2019 issues or \u2018socialising\u2019 insights then you probably have to do the same\u2026 (or do you?) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any thoughts or ideas? Does anyone want to run anything up the flagpole and see who salutes it? Or alternatively, pour it in the saucer and see if the cat licks it\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone got any words or phrases they hate? (my current one is people who say \u2018no?\u2019 at the end of the sentence as in \u2018Liverpool are 100% going to win the Premier League, no?\u2019 \u2013 I know I will NEVER end a sentence like that).<\/p>\n\n\n\n