Cliches Might Not Impress Your English Teacher, but...

Some of you are not going to like this next sound bite element cliches.

That’s right.

Now when you’re giving a speech.

If you use cliches people will think you’re stupid unoriginal and thought it sounds clunky but when you’re talking to a reporter it’s not your speech it’s not your article it’s not your whole story.

So if you’re quoted the cliche is one little piece of the whole story.

It’s like a little bit of spice if you put nothing but spice in a stew it’s going to taste awful but a little bit can make it fine.

Why do people use cliches.

They’re simply more memorable than stating something in a straightforward way.

Not often cliches have other sound bite elements.

Analogies maybe humor examples but a cliché can be a great way of getting a reporter to quote you make them see it.

Visualize it relate to it.

The reporter can.

So can the audience.

So I realized some of you may think well I’m afraid I’m mean look stupid if I use a cliché.

You got to figure out what your main objective is here.

Are you trying to sell yourself as a great speaker a great writer or do you want to get your message across.

If you don’t want to use clichés you don’t have to but they can work.

For example one of my first jobs this is 30 years ago I was in Florida.

I was a press spokesperson for the Florida Department of Banking and finance so the politician I worked for was in charge of shutting down boiler room operations people who illegally sold fraudulent oil wells.

So his message to consumers and voters was if somebody calls you up at noon or dinnertime and says buy my oil well for five thousand dollars send it to me I’ll double your money in six weeks.

Chances are that’s an illegally registered securities offering don’t buy.

That was the message.

But that’s not a sound bite.

What was the sound bite.

Remember citizens if it sounds too good to be true it probably is a simple cliché but it perfectly encapsulated the message and it got the job done.

He was quoted every two months in major television newspaper media outlets throughout the giant state of Florida quoted every two months for 20 years in office using that cliche.

So if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.