Set in Style

In this interview published by Management Consulting News, Tom Sant, author of The Language of Success, describes a writing style he calls Guff:

Guff is another form of pseudo language. This is the mode people use when they want to convince us that they are more intelligent [. . .] than we are. Guff is the language you get from many bureaucrats, senior managers, lawyers, and politicians. It showcases big words, long sentences, lots of passive voice, and convoluted constructions. At the end of it, you don’t know what they’ve said.

Of course, Guff is required for most (but not all) legal writing. But it’s not required for most promotional pieces (e.g., client alerts) written by attorneys.

If you’re an attorney, and you’re used to writing Guff day-in/day-out, then pause before you write your next client alert. Take a moment to think of your audience, and ask yourself: do I want an itsy-bitsy audience (e.g., corporate counselors interested in Rule 204-3), or do I want a much larger audience?If you want the larger audience, forget the Guff.

And, if you feel compelled to write about Rule 204-3, don’t waste your time writing what so many others have already written. After all, who’s going to read the umpteenth analysis of proposed amendments to Form ADV?

This entry was posted 25 March 2008 at 9:53 and is filed under Client Alerts, Copy. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.