How approval processes ruin good copy

Boredom is the worst enemy of good communication. If our interest is not caught by the first few sentences with something new, unsusual or important, we stop reading. Titles serve as eyecatchers in magazines, but sadly not in corporate writing. Writing coaches complain of this with good reason: internal corporate copy is often boring and meaningless.

Nevertheless, many communicators know how to write well and do so. They start with a blank sheet of paper and some good, creative ideas. So why is the copy produced for companies often so boring? The key problem is the approval process that brings out all the behaviours a corporate animal needs to demonstrate in order to survive. What will my peers or boss think about my project if they read this? Might anyone important object to the content? We all do it. We need to demonstrate how busy we were and acknowledge the work of all the contributors. Boredom is the result of total inclusiveness and gutlessness.

What needs to be changed? Stop the approval process, send copy only to verify the facts, and let just one other communicator review the style and structure of the article. Take risks in writing and enjoy provoking internal discussions. This will result in communications actually being read and turn companies into much livelier places.