Swearingen Communications Insights
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How To Sound Smart
Let’s take a momentary break from worry and gloom and have some fun with words.
Like crayons, words color our communication and accentuate our meaning. Yet, just like the original Crayola box from 1903 containing eight colors, many of us keep using the same “crayons” over and over. Which is a lost opportunity; the Oxford English Dictionary lists 171,476 words that are in current use. So let’s revisit or learn a few vivid words and expand our box of colors.
First, a disclaimer. The fastest, surest way to turn into a pompous boob is to try to sound smart. Nobody likes a show-off, and I’d never advocate for that. But just like the perfect piece of good jewelry or the classic cashmere jacket, you can accessorize your professional communications with a well-placed term now and then. Here’s a beginning list:
Raison d’etre (raise-on-det-rah) Reason for being. The be-all and end-all of your existence. Exasperated, the judge asked the chronically ill-prepared attorney, “Counselor, just exactly what is your raison d’etre?”
The Fourth Estate. Journalists, the press, the media. After failing to earn media coverage of her client’s groundbreaking invention, the PR pro lamented the whims of the Fourth Estate.
Specious. Deceptively appealing though lacking real merit; superficially pleasing or plausible. The CPA advised Ms. Simsbury that categorizing her new Prada suit as an advertising expense would be regarded as a specious argument to the IRS.
Salad Days. From Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra, it refers to lost youth or naiveté. The financial advisor discovered that the mature investor was far from retirement because of all the money he had blown during his salad days.
Ennui. (on-we). Existential boredom. The soon-to-be ex-spouse feigned ennui as the mediator reviewed the draft divorce decree.
Hoi Polloi. (hoy-pull-oy). The people, the masses, the many. Note that “hoi” means “the” in Greek, so don’t say, “the hoi polloi.” There will be few gatherings of hoi polloi until this Covid calamity is under control.
Savoir-faire. (sa-vwa-fare). Being adroit and adaptable. An innate or learned ability to handle most situations. The trustee’s savoir-faire persisted despite the rebuke of the irate beneficiaries and the mounting family drama.
Most established, best-in-class professionals don’t need to sound smart. Think Dr. Anthony Fauci. But they do want to share their smarts. And painting a story is one of the best ways to accomplish that. So choose your words wisely. Sprinkle in a bit of color. And if you’re fishing for an especially colorful “crayon,” let this guide you. If it’s to punctuate, yes. To pontificate? Never.
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