Ok, maybe I wouldn’t call it a regular crush, exactly, but I do like a bit of Greg Wallace.
You know, the cockney greengrocer judge on MasterChef. He always has a cheeky glint in his eye and a high shine on his forehead.
He gets a lot of flack for not knowing his pho from his fondant fancy, but I can tell you that he’s the show’s secret weapon.
Why? Because he’s a brilliant communicator. We don’t get to smell or taste the food, so we have to rely on dear old Greg and his enormous spoonfuls to share his experience with us. And he does it brilliantly – hence my communication crush.
So what makes him such a great communicator? Well, he does 3 things very well:
- He uses down-to-earth language – the language of food, not of fancy French chefs. So he talks about ‘mashed potato’ not ‘pommes puree’, ‘fritters’ not ‘beignets’ and ‘sauce’ not ‘jus’. This keeps him relatable and the topic accessible.
- He’s uses detail. He doesn’t just describe the dishes as ‘delicious’ or ‘tasty’ – oh no. Greg knows we listeners need more than that, so he talks about ‘sweet notes followed by a sharp tang’, ‘fruity backhands’ or a ‘chilli hit right at the back of your throat.’
- His language is evocative, provocative and unique to him. With his colourful words he conjures up all sorts of imagery: ‘I could put that meringue in a corner and snog it’, ‘I could eat a whole bucket of that’, ‘That tastes like a wet weekend in February.’ It’s engaging, funny and far more interesting than ‘I like/don’t like that.’
And it doesn’t matter if you’re writing or talking about couscous, coaching, consultancy or condoms, these 3 principles apply.
So if you want hold your customers’ interest for longer, make your language
- straightforward (no business jargon, unnecessary acronyms or high falutin’ words)
- rich with detail (no bland generalisations, yes, I’m looking at you, Mr Increasing Efficiency)
- reflective of your own, unique personality
It’ll be all the tastier for it.
