“I’m excited to announce…” “We’re delighted to welcome…” “It’s with mixed emotions that I announce…”
I’ve seen a flurry of business announcements lately that start like this, on the way to introducing a new employee or a changed role.
Don’t those emotions seem a little insincere? And don’t you suspect the person writing the memo or email has to spend extra time thinking up a different way to be enthusiastic each time? (“Wait, if I say ‘happy’ this time, is that less than ‘delighted’?”)
Then there are the endings that basically say nothing:
“I know I can count on everyone’s support…” “Please join me in welcoming…” “Join me in congratulating…”
You can appreciate the spirit behind announcements that start and end this way, but I say stop it.
The June issue of my newsletter, Wordnerdery, outlines how to be personal without being artificially enthusiastic. And it describes a basic, no-frills structure that gets to the point. No brain cells are harmed trying to come up with new ways to express “excitement” and “delight.”
Does this artificial enthusiasm make you roll your eyes, too? How would you handle employee announcements?
Stage photo by Paolo Chiabrando on Unsplash.
Wordnerdery is a quick read about words, effective/expressive writing, newsletters and more. Are you a subscriber yet? If yes, thanks for reading! If not, you can sign up right now. In keeping with Canadian and American anti-spam laws – and just plain good manners – you can easily unsubscribe any time.