Reminder: There are 4 Things that make a message work™: When your message is customer-centric, clear, compelling, and controlled. The opposite of these are The 4 ways your message works against you: When it’s vain, vague, dull, and undisciplined.
Vague communication is broad-stroked, abstract, sometimes convoluted, and generally difficult to understand.
Let’s crack open a dictionary. (Oops, old terminology. You can’t really crack open a web page, can you?)
Definitions of vague:
Merriam-Webster:
Notice how definitions number 1, 3, 4, and 5 describe the message itself — the execution. Whereas both of the #2 definitions describe the reception of the message — the result.
Being vague in your messaging can be the same as being:
A vague message makes me uncomfortable. I might think, “I don’t know what’s going on here.” Or “you’re not being straight with me.” So I don’t trust you. I don’t know what to do next. Bad.
A vague message makes your audience feel:
Also, a vague message is open to interpretation — and you might not like your audience’s interpretation. This is giving up control.
Simply put, if you’re vague, you’re not winning anybody over. You might even be turning people away. That’s why vague is one of The 4 ways your message works against you. The good news is, it’s a sin you can avoid.
“Vagueness is the kingdom of the devil and it is as such on purpose.”
Lamine Pearlheart
Vague communication is communication that suffers from a lack of clarity. Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but you’ve probably witnessed the causes and the effects.
I’m sure you don’t mean to be vague. Nor do your colleagues. Still, be on the listen-out for these Uh-oh Utterances:
“Don’t get specific about the cost. Just say it’s competitively priced.”
“We don’t need to explain how it works. Just focus on the feeling it gives.”
“A little technical talk is convincing. It doesn’t matter if the customers don’t understand it. What matters is demonstrating that we know what we’re talking about.”
“People don’t have any patience for details. Just summarize the overall benefit.”
“We’re not selling dog food. We’re selling the joy of pet ownership.”
“Just use round numbers.”
“Let’s be careful how we say this. We don’t want to offend anybody.”
“People don’t want to work to figure out how all this adds up. Just tell them what it means to them.”
“Better not commit to a number. We might not be able to back it up.”
“Pictures of the product are boring. Let’s show something that will get attention… like a puppy or an attractive model.”
“I guess we have to put the disclaimer in there. But make it really hard to see.”
“We don’t need to show the product in use. Just highlight the brand.”
Following are some vague messages… and how a customer might react to them.
This is like Wheel Of Fortune, highway edition. What’s the number? I don’t get it. I don’t even know what these people do. I’m assuming they’re ambulance chasers. Maybe people in the local market know what the rest of the number is, but I don’t. So it’s just weird.
Sometimes the application of creativity can go a little too far, right? “The beer that beer would drink.” What does that even mean? I might spend a couple of seconds trying to figure it out (hey, a puzzle!), and then I’m like, nope, ain’t got time for this. Maybe you understand better after you’ve had a few.
That was my genuine first reaction to this billboard. Then I remembered that the pilots were threatening a strike. (“Airline Pilots Association” is practically invisible at the bottom.) So their intent was to express what they believe they deserve. But this word choice makes it sound like it already happened.
Here’s a good example of how you can get three out four things right, and still go wrong. This ad is customer-centric, because the customer’s the subject of the sentence. It’s compelling, because it’s imperative. It’s controlled, with great design discipline for this small space. But what the heck are they selling? Safety glasses? Cell phones? Electric cars?
A vague message obscures meaning. It doesn’t give you enough information. Or it gives you too much.
A message that’s vague is:
A vague message can be the result of what you say… and what you don’t say.
Verbal signs that your message is vague:
Most of us know the difference between plain talk and gobbledygook. If you don’t, I promise you your audience does.
“I have a hunch that a writer, feeling defeat in advance, gets lengthy and vague in self-defense. If defeat comes, he can hide behind the big words and ascribe it to the ignorance of the people addressed.”
Maury Maverick
The more words you cram into a sentence, the more cluttered and obscured its meaning becomes. The more points you try to make, the less likely they can all be remembered. The more technical your language, the fewer people can understand it.
A vague message can be the result of what you show… and what you don’t show.
Visual signs that your message is vague:
Brands often go crazy with product line extensions, and it can be difficult to tell the many options apart. (Shopped for toothpaste lately?) Design that doesn’t employ color-coding or some other device can make consumers want to give up. I just want a product, not a puzzle to solve.
Why is complicated, cluttered design vague? Because it’s unclear where I should look first or what’s most important. (Think grocery-store circulars or car-dealer ads.)
You certainly can’t understand a message if you can’t read it. Low contrast, wacky fonts, tiny type, etc.
In web design: Oh how we love our icons! So much so that we make them huge and the words they stand for small. This doesn’t work if the icons are unfamiliar or unconventional. Same goes for logos with abstract symbols. And for web design that doesn’t provide a consistent UI (all action buttons the same color, for example).
You might withhold specificity to spare people’s feelings or avoid conflict. Fair enough. For sure, avoiding offense is a way of keeping your message controlled. Good intention there. But also a slippery slope.
A stronger justification of the indefinite is when you use it deliberately to create mystery and intrigue. This leads to curiosity, anticipation, and buzz.
Primary example? Teaser ads.
Deciding if a message is vague isn’t always easy. There are esoterics and exceptions. Sometimes, you need an expert judgment call. That’s when it’s good to ask for help.
The opposite of a vague message is a message that’s clear. One that’s simple and specific.
Clear is one of The 4 things that make a message work. If you want to know what makes a message effective, find out how to make your message clear.
Being vague is the opposite of what makes a message effective. Do you agree or disagree with these assertions? Hit me with your cheers and challenges.
Ready to prove or disprove the notion that vague is a message-strategy nemesis? Send me some examples.
Your input can help me refine the principles of message strategy, which in turn can help others.
Are you creating sales playbooks? An ad campaign? A tagline? How would you rate your own messaging in terms of being vain?
Need to ensure adoption of your sales program, new product offering, or company strategy? Let’s talk.
