There’s a joke my kids are fond of telling about not wanting to read Shakespeare (or the Bible). When challenged, they grin and say that Shakespeare is too unoriginal – almost everything he says is a cliché…. and I have to confess that the first time they did it, I didn’t stop to think before I jumped in, all guns blazing, only to realise a second later how much of a fool I’d just made of myself.
That said, of course, it is true that your presentations should contain not a single (accidental) cliché if you can avoid it – they’re all too often sterile noises which don’t actually mean anything. Of course, if you use one for effect, so be it, but please, please, please don’t use them without thinking.
My experience is that a cliché-ridden presentation is likely to be boring in terms of the presentation style and sloppy in terms of content. I’m not suggesting that writing in clichés means you’re automatically not on top of your subject matter, just that you’ve probably not put the necessary level of thought and effort in……
On the other hand, unfortunately, it’s sometimes quite tricky to spot them as they sneak in. My advice would be to use something like this cliché-spotter or – far better – use the services of a professional, such as my friend Suze. If all else fails, just practice in front of a friend who you know will pull you up short when you do the dirty and slip into cliché-speak. (And if you’ve never read any of Suze’s work, the best I can say is that she’s a professional writing who’s so good she doesn’t read like a professional writer… if you see what I mean!)
