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Why Business People Speak Like Idiots: A Bullfighter's Guide Audiobook
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(3.09) - 100 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"This is just the kind of synergistic, customer-centric, upsell-driven, out-of-the-box, customizable, strategically tactical, best-of-breed thought leadership that will help our clients track to true north. Let's fly this up the flagpole and see where the pushback is."
It's Monday. Time to hit the pause button on your personality and get ready for the next meeting because, for the next five days, we'll be speaking the language of business. And, from bloated jargon and monotonous memos to syrupy slogans and deadly dull presentations, the official language of business is bull. The second we get to work, we join the masses who trade the wit and warmth of their voices for a corporate stamp of approval and the comfort of conformity.
This is not because of some evil corporate conspiracy. It's actually the result of four traps — obscurity, anonymity, hard sell, and tedium — that transform us from funny, honest, and engaging weekend people to boring business stiffs.
But for you, this epidemic of bull and boredom is a real opportunity. All those human beings who trudged to work Monday morning want something better. They don't want disclaimers, nonpromises, sugar-coated news, or canned speeches. They want someone to capture their imagination, stir their enthusiasm, and tell them the truth. And once you learn to recognize and rise above the four traps, you can be that voice they're looking for.
Grab your cape and sharpen your sword. It's time to fight the bull!
If you think you smell something at work, there's probably good reason — bull has become the official language of business. Every day, we get bombarded by an endless stream of filtered, antiseptic, jargon-filled corporate speak, all of which makes it harder to get heard, harder to be authentic, and definitely harder to have fun.
But it doesn't have to be that way. The team that brought you the Clio Award-winning Bullfighter software is back with an entertaining, bare-knuckled guide to talking straight.
This is a book for all those who want to climb the corporate ladder, but refuse to check their personality at the door.
Download and start listening now!
"This is the best business read I have come across in 10 years! It won't take you long and you will laugh out loud! This is my philosophy when it comes to coaching executives on how to be better speakers."
— Khankins1 (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“There are two reasons why business people refuse to speak in a way the rest of us can understand: fear and peer pressure. This book cuts through both excuses and makes it far more likely that work will actually get done. If you’ve ever written a memo, you need this book.”
— Seth Godin, bestselling author of Permission Marketing and Purple Cow -
“This is a funny, entertaining, readable book about a serious, important, undervalued issue: communication. The way business people talk to each other—and to the rest of us—is often inauthentic, deceptive, opaque, and trivial. If you’re us, this book will help you decode what they’re talking about. If you’re them, it will help you find a better, more effective way to get your message across.”
— Tony Schwartz, bestselling coauthor of The Power of Full Engagement
Why Business People Speak Like Idiots Listener Reviews
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" The book is amazing. There are so many things written in this that I have done in every day life. Definitely a must read for everyone. "
— Ranjan, 11/11/2013 -
" Very good book to get over the monotony of meetings and presentations. It teaches people to be real, not work drones. "
— David, 10/24/2013 -
" Need I say more, the tite says it all. I gave a copy of his book to every member of my Communications team in Microsoft EMEA. The accompanying bullfighter.com site is great too. "
— Mike, 9/18/2013 -
" Everyone should read this to strip the jargon out of their speech and writing. "
— Jim, 8/4/2013 -
" "Some of you may be able to relate to this book, I know I did..." "
— John, 11/2/2012 -
" Received the book from one of the authors. While I agree with the concept, I'm not entirely sure that those who should be applying it would find overarching compelling reasons to do so. Some interesting examples were cited throughout the book. "
— Trang, 10/20/2012 -
" Too trite. Failed to take their own advice. "
— Aaron, 1/18/2012 -
" The title is really the best part but this is a decent attempt to get people in the corporate world to sound human. "
— Andrea, 7/26/2011 -
" Too trite. Failed to take their own advice. "
— Aaron, 6/18/2011 -
" "Some of you may be able to relate to this book, I know I did..." "
— John, 1/26/2010 -
" extremely funny and useful book about actually being yourself at work (*gasp*) and speaking like a sane individual and not lapsing into corporate PR speak. "
— Diana, 10/2/2009 -
" Very good book to get over the monotony of meetings and presentations. It teaches people to be real, not work drones. "
— David, 12/28/2007 -
" The title is really the best part but this is a decent attempt to get people in the corporate world to sound human. "
— Andrea, 12/16/2007
About the Authors
Brian Fugere is a recovering jargonaholic. After authoring some of the worst jargon the consulting world has ever seen, he formally admitted his problem and entered a twelve-step program. He is currently in rehab and has been jargon-clean for the last two years. He is a partner at Deloitte Consulting and was formerly its chief marketing officer. Brian lives in Danville, California, with his wife, Gail, and their four children.
Chelsea Hardaway is an authenticity nut. She can detect hogwash and spin from a country mile, and has spent her career helping companies trade in the usual corporate gibberish for more honest, human communications. She is the president of Hardaway Productions, a brand and communications consultancy that helps clients cut through the clutter. Previously, she was the global brand director at Deloitte Consulting. Chelsea lives in Half Moon Bay, California.
Jon Warshawsky, a former eighth-grade spelling champion, is a manager at Deloitte Consulting and helped start the firm’s e-Learning practice. In 2000 he founded Cappuccino, a newsletter covering organizational change and learning. In 2002 Mr. Warshawsky returned to his roots as a grammar curmudgeon and led the development of Bullfighter, the software that quantified idiocy in the world of business writing. He lives in San Diego.
About Alan Sklar
Alan Sklar, a graduate of Dartmouth, has excelled in his career as a freelance voice actor. Named a Best Voice of 2009 by AudioFile magazine, his work has earned him several Earphones Awards, a Booklist Editors’ Choice Award (twice), a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and Audiobook of the Year by ForeWord magazine. He has also narrated thousands of corporate videos for clients such as NASA, Sikorsky Aircraft, IBM, Dannon, Pfizer, AT&T, and SONY.