Each morning I try to catch up on the news before setting off for work and today was no exception. There is always one story or another which catches my eye and today it was for all the wrong reasons.
Before I start this rant, I will try and set the scene: There was a young girl (16 / 17 years old) being interviewed, she was smartly dressed, well presented and informed, there was no doubt she was intelligent and educated but she was making a huge and repetitive mistake throughout the piece – every other word was ‘like’.
Part of her argument for being on the programme was to express the maturity of young people and so I found it baffling that she would use sentences littered with ‘like’. Despite her points being well structured the ultimate presentation of her answers to questions was terrible. As a result all I heard was ‘like’ this and ‘like’ that, rather than concentrating on what she wanted me to hear.
All I could think was that due to the way she was unable to articulate herself in an appropriate manner for her audience, she had disproved her point that people of her age should be considered as adults.
As the Step-Mum of a 15 year old, I know how difficult it can be to get more than ‘fine’, ‘ok’, or a dismissive shrug out of a teenager and I have to admit that when it comes to basic communication I worry about the way that young people interact but I also know that the rules in our house mean that my Step-Son can hold an adult conversation without using adolescent words or phrases when needed.
When I was growing up we were told time and time again that you communicate with your friends in one way and with adults another. We may not have liked it but using slang simply wasn’t tolerated when we were in adult company and looking back I can absolutely understand why my parents made such a point of enforcing this rule.
And that is why the problem isn’t exclusive to young people – I think it’s important that individuals, brands and businesses use the same approach and tailor the way they communicate to their audience. Without this thought and consideration the message – ultimately what you want people to understand – is lost.
I’m not suggesting that people start to speak in the Queen’s English, I for one would struggle, but it is about being eloquent. In the same way that I find it hugely offensive when people swear on twitter, I also find it rude when people use slag or jargon when trying to engage me in conversation about a topic they think I will find interesting.
I don’t believe that the problem is technology, despite many people believing that an increase in text and email, rather than face-to-face conversation, causes poor use of language, I actually believe that much of it is habit and the rest simple laziness.
The reality is that this isn’t something to dismiss, it’s not a situation I am ranting about because I work in communication, it is a serious problem that could lead an individual to be misinterpreted and in some cases for them to lose out on things which matter such as university places, an employment opportunity or a customer.
It’s time that we all recognised that bad use of language is not about one person’s interpretation of your intellect but a reflection of attitude and ability to behave and communicate as a professional adult whatever your age.
So, is how I like communicate really like important like? Well, yes, actually – it really like is.