Submitted by Victor on
Promoting the use of clear language among children’s rights advocates
The overuse of positive action verbs – or buzz words – in an NGO report can make it seem as if it were modelled on a guide on how to write a CV or cover letter. But rather than inspiring readers to take notice, buzz words more often than not induce an eye roll or two for their lack of originality.
For example, we often like to use – and reuse – the verb to leverage, especially when it comes to leveraging resources. In one case of glaring overuse, the term to engage was employed five times within the same paragraph. We seem to especially like engaging with human rights mechanisms or engaging in policymaking. The same goes for our tendency to enhance just about anything, in particular enhancing effectiveness.
But if we swap the buzz word tick list for a thesaurus, we can get creative with language. The following are just some alternatives to the words mentioned above, which will hopefully keep readers' eyes fixed on the page, as opposed to rolling in disapproval:
Engage in – take part in, participate in, become involved in
Enhance – improve, boost
Leverage – harness, utilise, make use of