Swearing in business communication: the case for keeping it clean

I was recently asked by the Institute of Internal Communication (UK) if leaders and communicators should sanitise their swearing. My view is that swearing in corporate communication is a big No-No.

Swearing offends and divides an audience. Our job as leaders and internal communicators is to unite and engage.

Businesses that include swearing in their communication are needlessly damaging their brand. Some will argue that inclusion of swear words in corporate communication makes it more authentic. Authenticity has nothing to do with profanity. Swear words are not proven to add to the bottom line or raise levels of employee engagement. There are, though, examples where swearing in marketing or corporate communication has negatively impacted businesses.

Swearing in town halls or leader videos is short sighted. It may give a leader some street-cred with a minority. But displaying emotional intelligence is proven to be much more authentic and impactful when it comes to engaging employees and improving performance.

Swearing is generally accepted at the pub or at a sports game where emotions run high. Conversely, swearing doesn’t add emphasis to corporate communication. Employees are not more inclined to remember something or take action because we swear. More likely, our employees will recall the swearing itself or the impact of a swear word rather than the message.

We should add impact through personal stories that heighten the emotional connection to our message. This approach has an evidence base and is proven to work.

“Expletive-free” communication sets a clear tone and culture for the firm. As professionals, we need to keep our organisations and leadership brands intact. Our industry can and has done this successfully without dropping F-bombs.  

Full article published in The Voice, Journal of the Institute of Internal Communication (UK), September 2018.