Useless filler words that erode clarity and influence
Surplus words
I started thinking about the word ‘do’ and how often I see it, mostly on LinkedIn posts or at the end of an email:
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‘Please do feel free to contact me if you want to find out more.’
‘Do reach out and get in touch if you’d like to attend.’
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It gives me the ick when I see or hear it. Why do we add this word when it doesn’t need to be there? It offers no clarify and no value to the statement/question.
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‘Contact me to find out more.’
‘Contact me if you’d like to attend.’
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Better. To the point. Clear. Confident.
This got me thinking about my other bugbears:
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Tautologies
Words paired with another that mean a variation of the same:
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You get the idea. You only need one of each.
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Filler words
Words that do not add clarity or value to your statement. I see these the most. In a job where I reshape content as often as I produce it, it is unavoidable. It’s a writing style that we are all guilty of in some capacity. Some more than others.
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Look at these again
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How they erode your credibility
In a corporate world full of attention deficits, word counts, and page limits, these credibility killers weaken our message, reduce clarity, and undermine impact.?
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According to Nicholas Christenfeld, a former professor of Psychology at the University of California, we perceive excessive filler words as uncomfortable, inarticulate, and lacking confidence.
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Bye-bye diluted sentences…hello clarity
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Try these:
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On average, you can rid your bid response of 17% of words by removing filler words. This will either be a lifeline to replace mindless culling when working to a word count or open space to add something valuable to reach those higher scores!
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1 周I was confident with my writing ability until I met you. Your advice and editing (hacking) skills were much appreciated! More concise; My writing improved after I was Alison-ed. ??
Head Of Planning at Montagu Evans
1 周I agree...no filler words here
Global Bids & Tenders Director
2 周Here! Here! I am the same with 'get', 'got' and 'being'. I can become so incandescent that it invokes involuntary iambic pentameter.
Managing Director - Bid Solutions
2 周Are you suggesting I need to stop using this as my goto site? https://www.bullshitgenerator.com/ :-)