That’s Not What I Meant

We use the same language, hear the same words, and yet come to different understandings of what those words mean.  As a marketer, this can be a big issue.  After all, we know what we intended to say and the last thing most of us want is for someone to take offense and hurt our brand.  If your purpose is to offend or use shock, then this blog post may not be for you.  But if your goal is to understand and be understood, let me shed some light on things.

Before I begin, it has to be discussed that we are living in a hyper sensitive world.  There are many people looking for offense.  Many times, these groups can be very vocal.  Even when no offense is warranted, there will probably be something that someone will be offended by.  The USA has made an industry out of taking offense.

Assuming your goal is to be clear in your communication, let’s talk about some of the issues that have a major impact.  Not all may apply to your situation, but we should at least be aware of things.

Language:

Words have meaning and those meanings may change over time or by different groups of people.  This is why we need to be very careful when utilizing any slang words.  What you intend to say may easily be misunderstood.  So use simple, common language.

Social Economic Groups:

We are all a product of our life experiences.   Our life experiences provide specific perspectives of how we see the world around us.  This impacts both how we speak, but more importantly how we listen.  Be careful using analogies that may have a different meaning to different social economic groups.

Ethnic Groups:

If your goal is to be understood, we must be very careful about how our communication can be interpreted by different ethnic groups.  The goal of this blog is not to argue the right and wrong of those debates, but focus more into the what needs to be considered to communication the strongest.  Be very careful of words and phrases that can have a different meaning to different groups of people.  While your intentions may be pure, that will be of little consequence if there is a misunderstanding.  If your goal is to be heard, don’t add language that can deter from that

Age Groups:

Each age group tends to focus on words that have specific meaning to that group.  They hold that language to have more of a meaning because of their life experience.  For instance, a senior that has lived through the Korean and Vietnam war, may be more sensitive to words such as honor, duty, and pride than some one that may have been born in the 1990’s.  It doesn’t make one right or wrong, better or worse, just different.  Know your audience so you can communicate with words that resonate with that group.

Gender:

Men and women in today’s society have unique challenges they face.  While many are shared, how each tends to approach those issues can be different.  These can range from how each approaches societal issues such as relationships, or health issues that are more prevalent within each gender.  Again, it doesn’t make one group better or worse, but we must be sensitive in how those topics are approached.  Approach it wrong and we risk alienating half of our potential customers.

Educational Level:

The words we use all have meaning. However, any words used must fall within the parameters of the reader or listener.  If you use language that is perceived as either below or above the average educational level of the reader, you are going to be perceived incorrectly.  Use too high of language, you will be seen as snooty and arrogant.  Use too low of language and you will be seen as uneducated and have less credibility.  Find the common ground and speak clearly.

While there are others areas that we need to be aware, these are some of the basics.  The goal is to be heard and understood.  So speak (or write) simply and straight forward.  The more creative means or analogies used, the more chance that things will be misunderstood.  One thing to try is to have someone else, outside of your circle to read your post and tell you what they understood from what you have written.  If something was not clear to them, take the time to rewrite it. Take the time to be understood.