Thank you Lucy Kellaway for a great article today on the BBC Website, readers will want to read the explanation by Paul Ireland, Managing Editor, IDeA Knowledge that appears at the bottom of this page before examining the list so here it is.
The phrase 'banned words' is perhaps misleading. The LGA doesn't have the authority to ban words, and I'm sure has no wish to do so! As Richard Stokoe points out above, the intention of the list was to start a debate about the language we use. This was also our intention in publishing the list and opening it up to comment.
Secondly, the context of the words is crucial. Of course no-one is suggesting that the word "welcome" be expunged from the dictionary or from everyday use. Rather, there are certain phrases and linguistic conventions that can make council writing hard to understand for the uninitiated. "We welcome the new place-shaping initiative" is a very different usage from "you're welcome" in conversation or "Welcome to Councilford" on a town sign.
Thirdly, the list was primarily about how councils communicate with residents, not with each other. Here at the IDeA we're very aware that we use a lot of jargon and 'banned words'. But we're also aware that we're usually talking to an informed audience who are likely to be familiar with much of the language. The balance is not always easy, and we are the first to admit we don't always get it right. We do believe that, whatever the context, it's important to know who your audience is, know how you want them to respond, and then put yourself in their place when deciding what language to use.
Finally, please note that the list was accumulated by the LGA and others as a by-product of their ongoing work with local government writing. Rest assured that public funds have not been squandered on a vast research exercise!
The LGA's top 100 'Banned Words'
1. ambassador
2. agencies
3. beacon
4. best practice
5. bottom-up
6. CAAs
7. can do culture
8. capacity
9. capacity building
10. cascading
11. cautiously welcome
12. champion
13. citizen empowerment
14. community engagement
15. conditionality
16. consensual
17. contestability
18. core message
19. core value
20. coterminosity
21. coterminous
22. cross-cutting
23. customer
24. democratic mandate/legitimacy
25. distorts spending priorities
26. early win
27. empowerment
28. engagement
29. engaging users
30. enhance
31. evidence base
32. external challenge
33. facilitate
34. fast-track
35. flexibilities and freedoms
36. framework
37. fulcrum
38. good practice
39. governance
40. guidelines
41. holistic
42. holistic governance
43. improvement levers
44. incentivising
45. income/funding streams
46. initiative
47. joined up
48. joint working
49. LAAs
50. level playing field
51. localities
52. meaningful consultation/dialogue
53. MAAs
54. menu of options
55. multi-agency
56. multidisciplinary
57. outcomes
58. output
59. participatory
60. partnerships
61. pathfinder
62. peer challenge
63. performance network
64. place shaping
65. predictors of beaconicity
66. preventative services
67. priority
68. process driven
69. quick hit
70. quick win
71. resource allocation
72. revenue streams
73. risk based
74. scaled-back
75. scoping
76. seedbed
77. service users
78. shared priority
79. signpost
80. single point of contact
81. slippage
82. social contracts
83. stakeholder
84. step change
85. strategic/overarching
86. streamlined
87. subsidiary
88. sustainable
89. sustainable communities
90. symposium
91. synergies
92. tested for soundness
93. third sector
94. top-down
95. transformational
96. transparency
97. value-added
98. vision
99. visionary
100. welcome
Now admittedly some of the words on the list amount to little more than managment speak bollocks, but that does not detract from the fact that many are useful, usable parts of everyday language. As the explanation states the purpose was to make life easier for communication with members of the public and it beggars belief, that the powers that be can seem to hold many of them in such contempt, that they reckon on the average person not being able to understand what they mean by an ambassador or transparency!
This was of course not the aim of this exercise, but it goes to prove that as Lucy Kellaway states in her super article on the misuse of language, this type of thing is felt often in good old Blighty, not least of all in the business sector. To quote:
"One of the big banks is seeking 'passionate banking representatives to uphold our values' - this is a lie. It wants competent people to follow instructions and answer the phones"
Absolutely correct Lucy, unfortunately, the reality of this type of job means that an honest advert may go as follows, and I base this on many years experience in call centres.
Wanted, people with the ability to work in a white collar satanic mill for little pay with bonuses linked to unachievable targets. You will be able to put up with stifling heat in a non air conditioned workspace and having your every move, including how long you take to have a shit, monitored. You will report to an inexperienced and under trained team leader who was promoted because they happened to be able to stand working here longer than anyone else and not because they have any competence with people.
Training will be provided in the shape of a script which you will read word for word in a continuous nightmare of repetition that is akin to mental prawn peeling. For more information..."
Well you get the point.
I suppose in actuality I like all the "blue sky thinking" and "competency based interviewing" speak of the business world. Besides, it is not like any other profession does not do it. We not accuse educationalist of talking balderdash when they rattle on about "immediacy" or "multiple intelligences" do we?
I suspect that every profession could do with less "verbal Artex and more flat plaster simplicity" (snigger) and would be all the better for it. To me, however one word that we could eradicate from our beautiful language would save masses of time, raise expectations and inspire to greater things. I hear it more now than I ever have and by implication it implies that you are dumb, disinterested due to time constraints or unable to practice coherent and cognitive thought. Know what it is yet?
Basically
Hate it, hate it, hate it.
In conversation with a chap just this week he used the blasted word instead of full stops,I kid you not, I had murder on my mind I can tell you.
So I have a solution and I need your help to get it working. Whenever someone begins to explain or expound by saying "well, basically..." you should hold your hand in front of their face (silences anyone) and in a clear voice say "No, I would like it complicatedly please, are you implying I am an idiot?"
If this fails to work, offer them money for every sentence in which they do not use that blasted word and watch them go from semi coherent to textbook gobbledegook in last than 5 seconds. It's like kicking the crutches from under a cripple (excuse that dreadful but absolutely spot on phrase and apologies to those on crutches, and the crippled).
When tested on an unsuspecting verbally challenged individual, it was a mischievous joy to watch them babble a few words then revert to "basically" or "bas...." as it became whilst they tried desperately not to say a word that has become so ingrained in our vocabularies that it is as natural as farting.
Go on try it, hours of fun for anyone, it also inspires the unsuspecting to rather good impressions of Ronnie Barkers' Arkwright character from Open All Hours without them realising they are doing it.
We should try to film it if possible and place it on Youtube under the heading of "Basically an Idiot" and locate the biggest offender in the UK.
Then summarily execute them for good measure.
So the "Keeping Note of the Overuse of Basically" (KNOB for short) campaign begins, and if your game, be aware of your usage and drop me a comment letting me know if you are anywhere near purging it from your inner Webster's.
Try to KNOB daily if you can, encourage others to KNOB and make sure the fact that you KNOB comes up in conversation as often as possible.
I promise to begin in earnest today.
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