Customer Reviews

Euphemism, Spin, and the Crisis in Organizational Life

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My boss and I were sharing a discussion about "business-ese" and he handed me this book.

I'm so grateful that Stein took the time to research this dangerous business communication trend and describe it so eloquently.

Here is what I understand the premise to be: We, American business people, are so uncomfortable with the idea of conflict, and so underhanded in the worplace, that we have created our own deceptive vocabulary in order to manipulate others by subtely using language to bend them to our whims.

Stein sites many instances of words we use every day (e.g. "human resources," "downsizing," "restructuring") that use stealthy language to conceal their often negative meanings. In order to do this, he relies on both personal and achedemic experience and sites a number of excellent scientific and psychological resources.

This made me, a technical writer, listen to the words I use in everyday business discourse and think about the true meaning behind them. It has made me examine the things I write on a day-to-day basis for clarity and honesty.

I feel that I am a better writer and a better business person for having read this book, as it opened my eyes to many things I had been missing with regard to the way we communicate. This is a worthy read for anyone interested in the power of language and the psychology of business.