When people use the term “we need to think outside the box,” they’re using a cliché which...well...is actually inside the box.According to dictionary.com, a cliché is "a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse.”
Clichés are sadly everywhere, but they’re especially rampant in the business world. Are you guilty of using any of the following?:
- Leverage your X
- We do not have the bandwidth to X
- We need to step up to the plate
- A leading provider of X
Even worse: cliches that bear no universal definition. For example, have you ever heard synergy, paradigm shift or core competency, and had no idea what the person was talking about? Or you thought you knew what they meant, but your understandings differ completely?
As a writer, it is my job to avoid using clichés. Of course, if a client is a strong proponent of such sayings, I will argue only so much. But it is my responsibility—my duty, if you will—to try to convince them otherwise.
Ultimately, clichés indicate a degree of laziness—and often, they do not add value to what you are trying to say.
A professional writer should be able to help a company develop new ways to deliver messages…and take it to the next level*. It’s a win-win* for the company, and its target audience/readers.
* All clichés used in this article were inserted deliberately
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