We communicate facts, not words

One of the communicative styles that characterizes our time is the obsessive use of empty words. Values, synergy, camaraderie, commitment. These are big words that hide a lot of promises, and have become the favorite words of the business sector, the for-profit sector, within the framework of a tired society and in a world in climatic collapse. Hand in hand with the strategies of pinkwashing , purplewashing and greenwashing , go the word games and grandiloquent speeches. It is a symptom of the entrenchment of a perverse advertising, which sells smoke and immateriality to put a blinding veil over a not very hopeful reality.

This analysis has been made by several cultural theorists such as Terry Eagleton (2000, 2017) or Byung-Chul Han (2008, 2014), and it is nothing new. It is about the commodification of life, the colonization of everyday commercial logic, with justifying strategies such as the development of business language. It is a phenomenon that takes polysemic words, those that fill the mouth, and removes all meaning from them in order to line the pockets.

I don't say this with a revolutionary spirit. Not even as a complaint. I only intend to portray a dynamic that, if it has taken root in the private sector, is because perhaps it no longer exists anywhere else. And, in any case, we are realistic enough to know that the company has its own mechanisms, and this is not the place to criticize them.

However, I think that what is indicative, and undoubtedly a warning sign for us, is that these types of strategies have begun to take hold in the areas of the third sector and non-profit organizations. It is clear that if there is a suitable space to use words like "commitment", this is the third sector. And it is also true that this was the first space where they were used, when they still meant something. However, I think that their use in other areas has ended up draining these words, especially in terms of the image that society has of them, and associations need to change their communication strategy.

The third sector does not sell things or products. Non-profit organizations offer services, meet needs, protect rights. With an activity like this, what need do we have for beautiful or big words? What really makes the difference in our communication tasks is what we do. You know that saying “deeds, not words”? Well, that's it. For third sector communication, it is not necessary to turn words into deeds, but the other way around. And, above all, to be realistic and honest. In this sense, there are some strategies that can help us overcome the epidemic of empty words.

To begin with, let go of the future. In a changing world, making promises is not only difficult but also dangerous. I think we need to focus on showing what has already been done and justifying our work in the present. The conflict, the problem, is now; people need attention now, tomorrow it will be too late, and the difficulties will be different, or maybe the same, but the context will have changed.

In this sense, another strategy is to always go hand in hand with current events. I would recommend creating content that goes beyond the dissemination of the work itself, that explains in an informative way the problem or problems that the organization's work seeks to address, and doing so using data and citing sources. Here it is also important to include real testimonies, from people who are or have been in these situations. This does not mean, however, exploiting their testimonies or exploiting their suffering. It is about letting them tell their stories.

However, as I said, third sector entities must communicate clearly and directly. There is a problem, a situation, and we do specific tasks to address it. No inspiring speeches, no strings of huge words. Let's address current events and reality, let's be inquisitive in a world that insists on making us look away, let's pay attention to the materiality that is hidden behind smoke and promises. Let's make it clear that in an ideal world our work would not exist. That is value and commitment.

Original article published here.