Common Language
One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given by a professional friend was to learn and speak the language of the people you are trying to persuade. They weren’t talking about a foreign language, but rather the subtle differences within the world of entrepreneurship that can have a profound impact on how people relate to each other. I learned this during the days of Bluetooth when I was interacting with many different company cultures every day. Some were much more formal than others. For instance, Japan, during business hours or at a business function, was always formal, no matter what.
Mr. Kanatsu and I didn’t speak a common language, but we bonded over dinner and had a lot of laughs through someone translating.
I’m not talking about the fake accents and meaningless word salads used by someone like Kamala Harris, but instead, about the specific words and sometimes the tone used within a culture. The car culture has its own terminology, as do farmers, software engineers, and so on. The humor I use on the E@RTC site is specific to our car culture, and we love it, but it wouldn’t work anywhere else. The point of it all is connection, and to be relatable.
The reason I named my book How to Not Fck-Up Your Own Company* was because that’s the language most entrepreneurs use, and it was how we all talked to each other. Don’t believe me? Listen to Elon Musk. It’s even in his humor. He is the typical entrepreneur; they don’t use jargon or acronyms. Some even call him crude, yet he’s relatable to the people who work at his companies, and that humor comes through everywhere. Notice what they name things. That’s also how you build culture within a company. It’s often where people feel like they are a part of something.
People from certain parts of Alaska have a bluntness to their conversations that may sound rude to someone in the Midwest, but they are not. It’s just blunt, and when you respond just as bluntly, it clicks. You’re speaking their language.
Now that I’m here in the Midwest, language and meaning hold very different values. Here, they may say a prayer before or after a meeting—or both. On the coasts, that would stir up a hornet's nest of problems, as someone somewhere would inevitably have an issue. Foul language is rare here within the circles of people I meet, whereas it’s commonplace in the tech world. I can’t let my same jokes fly around here. Even though they are funny to me at least.
On the coasts, entrepreneurs use what’s considered “foul language” and don’t relate well to those who are dissimilar. It’s not even noticed in tech. There was a lot of debate about what to call my book, but if it didn’t connect with the audience, it would never get noticed. I’m speaking to my audience.
As I’ve said before, I always go for authenticity, but there is still room for adapting terminology to match word meaning. This is extremely apparent on Quora, where so many different cultures read my work. It’s now consistently over two million views every month. I think word choice has helped my readers.
I notice it a lot with my own clients, who run the full range. The problem is I can’t be all things to all people, so I go with my gut, and while it’s always authentic, my choice of words may differ depending on who I’m writing to, however it’s got to remain my voice.
Yes, I’ll lose a client or miss a connection with someone over something I write here and there, and according to Advanced Voice, it’s normal. However, what I hear often on Quora is that my writing is relatable rather than flat and sterile, and that’s the point. For those who have issue they would have more fun in life if they just lighten up and let people be people.