P-L-EEZE, communicators, do NOT use these words

It happened again the other day. I was writing along, minding my own business, and along came an email—a pitch from someone hoping we’d share a story.

I tried to read it—really, I did, but I just could not get through it, let alone convince myself that I could turn the pitch into a story you’d want to read. To make matters worse, it was the second such pitch I’d received in a little more than a week.

To avoid the wrath of those who may feel I’m singling these poor souls out, I’ll avoid all specifics, such as the sex or sexes of the offenders, the organizations for which they work and the topics the stories were supposed to cover. Besides, you know as well as I do, these words fly through the air in corporations like a bunch of kernels turned loose in a popcorn machine.

Instead, I’ll share with you the words that made me slam the virtual door on these pitches and some alternatives we’d all prefer to read.