TIME To KILL YoUR DARLINgS

There are a few repeat offenders in consultancy messaging that need to be sent to the great linguistic recycling bin in the sky.

You know the ones.

They crop up on every website, LinkedIn post and capabilities deck like bad penny buzzwords - and they’ve become so overused, they’ve lost all punch.

Here are five of the worst offenders that need the boot:

1. Transformation

Yes, it’s central to what most consultancies do. But without context? It lands with the intrigue of a damp spreadsheet.

Transformation of what? For whom? How?

Better to reframe it entirely. Talk about breakthroughs. Evolution. Reinvention. Give it shape, or let it go.

2. Sustainable

It started life as an eco-badge. Now it’s everywhere, tacked onto business models, lunch breaks and leadership strategies.

Ask yourself: what exactly makes this “sustainable”?

Spell it out. Otherwise, it’s just wallpaper.

3. Responsible

A noble sentiment. A messaging dead-end.

Everyone wants to be a responsible business - but no one wants to read about it.

Make it tangible. Responsible how? If you can’t show it, don’t say it.

4. Change

So vague it could mean anything from a team restructure to updating your password.

If you help clients change, get specific. What changes? Why does it matter? What’s life like after you’ve worked your magic?

5. Innovative

The classic. The safe word. The shoulder shrug.

If you’re claiming innovation, back it up. Show your method. Your mechanism. Your twist on the old way. Or better yet - let your clients say it.

Reframe or retire

Some of these words might still belong in your message. But not without support. Not without context. Not without proof.

Because if your copy is just a jumble of virtue-signalling and well-meaning fluff?

It’s not messaging. It’s noise.