Got a communication problem? Cut the C.R.A.P.

If your organization has a communication problem, it’s probably not because you lack information. Nor is it likely due to a lack of strategic thinking or positive intent.

Your policies are reasonable. Your strategy decks are polished. Your leadership emails are carefully crafted. And yet—employees are confused, customers are disengaged, and initiatives frustrate rather than inspire.

So, what’s the problem?

It’s the language.

If you feel like you’re shouting into a void, maybe it’s not WHAT you’re saying—it’s HOW you’re saying it.

Too much business communication is buried under piles of C.R.A.P.: Corporate Rhetoric And Pomposity. And C.R.A.P. is no one’s native tongue.

What C.R.A.P. looks like in real life

C.R.A.P. may not show up as obvious nonsense. It can sound professional and polished—on the surface.

I bet you’ll recognize these examples:

• “We are leveraging strategic synergies to optimize cross-functional alignment.”
• “This initiative will drive transformational outcomes across the enterprise.”
• “We encourage employees to proactively engage with this evolving framework.”

Technically, these sentences are correct. Practically, they say almost nothing.

C.R.A.P. shows up in:

• Employee emails no one reads
• Strategy documents that confuse more than they clarify
• Marketing content that sounds like it was written for consultants, not customers

All this creates distance between the communicator and the audience. And distance kills relationships. (Remember that time you tried to keep love alive while the two of you went to different colleges? It’s like that.)

Here’s why business communication fails

You might assume communication fails because people aren’t paying attention. Yes, people are distracted and hard to reach. But the truth is this: people tune out when a message isn’t built for them.

When you use internal jargon, inflated language, and vague verbiage, you’re asking your audience to translate the message before they can act on it.

That will kill any hope of progress, right quick.

Your team shouldn’t need a decoder ring to understand what you want them to do. Your customers shouldn’t need to reread your homepage to figure out what you offer.

When you communicate in a language that feels foreign to your audience, three things can happen:

1. People skim or tune out
2. They misunderstand key points
3. Or they ignore the message (and you) entirely

None of these outcomes will move your business forward.

Where C.R.A.P. creeps in

C.R.A.P. communication usually isn’t intentional. It creeps in through fear, habit, and culture.

1. You’re afraid to sound “unprofessional”

So many businesspeople dress up straightforward ideas in complex language to sound more authoritative. The effect is the opposite. The more inflated the language, the less credible the message feels.

Banish the thought that a simple message sounds unsophisticated. Simplicity equals clarity.

2. You live in internal echo chambers

Inside a company, pet phrases and acronyms become second nature. Before you know it, you’re speaking in shorthand that makes perfect sense to you and your colleagues but sounds absurd to anyone outside your circle.

That’s how you end up with messages that are technically accurate but practically useless to the people who need them most.

3. Layers of approval add C.R.A.P.

By the time a message is reviewed by legal, HR, leadership, and heaven-knows-how-many stakeholders, it’s become longer, softer, and more abstract. Specific language gets replaced with safer, more generic alternatives. Eventually, the original meaning is diluted beyond recognition. Or comprehension.

The cost of bad communication is higher than you think

When communication is full of C.R.A.P., the consequences aren’t just aesthetic—they’re operational.

Poor business communication leads to:

• Employees misunderstanding priorities
• Projects failing due to unclear direction
• Customers disengaging because they don’t see your value
• Leaders repeating messages to people who tuned out weeks ago

In other words, unclear communication doesn’t just waste words. It wastes time, money, and momentum.

How to fix it: start speaking human

Cutting the C.R.A.P. doesn’t mean being casual or sloppy. It means being deliberate about using language your audience understands.

1. Write like you talk on the weekend

If a sentence sounds awkward when you read it out loud, change it. Natural speech is one of the best tests for clarity.

Instead of:

“We are implementing a revised performance management framework effective next quarter.”

Try:

“Starting next quarter, we’re changing how performance reviews work.”

Same message. No translation needed. It’s human-speak, not corporate-speak.

2. Replace jargon with specifics

Words like leverage, optimize, and strategic alignment hide the actual action you want people to take. Swap them for concrete verbs and clear outcomes.

Ask yourself: What do I want people to do after reading this? Then write that. Being direct isn’t rude; it’s helpful.

3. Define success from your audience’s perspective

Good communication isn’t about what you need to say—it’s about what your audience needs to understand.

Before communicating a message, pressure-test it with this question: If someone reads this once, will they know exactly what to do next?

If the answer is no, you still have work to do. Revise, revise, revise.

4. Shorter is kinder

Long, dense messages ask your audience to do a lot of cognitive work. In busy workplaces, placing this demand on your audience is likely to get your message skimmed, postponed, ignored, or full-on deleted.

Clarity is not a stylistic choice. It’s a sign of respect for your audience.

Bottom line: clear communication builds trust

When you consistently communicate in clear, direct language, people will begin to trust that your messages are worth their time and attention. They’ll stop bracing for jargon and start noticing what you have to say.

That trust compounds over time. Employees feel more confident in their direction. Customers discover your value faster. Leaders spend less time repeating themselves.

All this can start for you today. Simply cut the C.R.A.P. and speak in a language your audience already understands.

If your organization is struggling to reach its audiences—internally or externally—the answer probably isn’t more messaging. More likely, your messages need translation. An outside perspective can make all the difference. Please think of me as a source of help.