Thought Leadership …. Class or Crass?
As a business and communication strategist, I am committed to seeking knowledge and staying on top of trends and contemporary information to keep my business up to date and to provide my clients with what they need to grow.
Therefore, I always have a book, a podcast, or a webinar I’m tuned into.
I am shocked and immediately turned off by the profanity, and crass language presenters, webinar leaders, and authors use in their words. Privately I use profanity, probably too much, and I work on this all of the time, but never publicly. I also find it disappointing thinking that we are tuning in to the webinar/podcast to be educated when the first 15 minutes tell me what I will learn; the learning is minimal, and the selling is intense. The idea of being a high-level edu-preneur and making an impact is compelling to me.
In the last month, I have heard the word “sucks” used multiple times as in, “doesn’t that s..k?”, I hear the f.bomb repeatedly and find it used in the title of books. Last night I listened to a webinar in which a high-profile speaker opened by saying that he has talked to a lot of idiots and wants to help us not talk to idiots. How is that humane or kind to refer to others as idiots?!
“ICK”, I don’t like it.
I also walked into a business expo to hear a keynote standing in front of 100 attendees she was talking about the difficulties of growing a business as she spoke into the microphone and said, “it’s f ‘n hard.” OMG!
I believe that having S*** and F***in your presentations, calling other people names or labeling is wrong and unappealing, lowers professionalism, and is disrespectful to the listener.
Swearing in presentations or as a part of a public persona might be attractive to some who admire your “passion,” but there’s no doubt that many others will find it offensive.
I appreciate and respect that profanity in presentations is a deliberate choice as long as you understand you are cultivating a personal brand.
I hope you hold yourself in the highest esteem as you propel in your lives and business.
