Weasel words…a worked example

I've written about Weasel Words before. It is one of the most searched for and read articles, so I thought it was time for a part 2...this time showing my working.

Once you know what you are looking for, weasel words are easy to spot.

Weasel words don’t add any substantial value. They significantly detract from your message and can often make your reader think they you don’t know what you are talking about. Many times, writers lean on weasel words because they should have spent more time collecting data. The writer could have probed deeper, but didn’t. I could go on, but hopefully you get the gist.*

Before you think I have lost the plot, my over use of some of the most common weasel words was intentional (see if you can spot them). Weasel words are easy to use. What is tougher, but has more impact, is the use data.

Don't believe me? Let's work through a quick example.

Example a) Some customers said that log in was slow and they would like a better, faster experience when using prime video.

Or

Example b) 52% of 100 customers surveyed in Jun 2024, told us that they would value a simplified log in process when accessing Amazon Prime Video. 32% of these customers reported that there was a 9 second delay before they could select their profile. This is verified by data from google analytics that shows 54% of the 1M customers who logged into their account in June 2024 experienced an average latency of 8.3 seconds, from app launch to log in screen shown. This is 4 seconds longer than our target time to select the profile.

The first example is brief but lacks context. As a reader, it leaves me asking more questions than it answers. How many customers? How are we defining “slow”? What experience specifically are they referring to? What is the experience they are looking for? When was this an issue?

The second example, whilst longer (93 words vs 20) contains more information to better inform the reader of the underlying issue. After you have read this you should get a much clearer sense of the issue, the cause and what you could do to address or gain a deeper understanding before deciding next steps.

It also answers the questions I had raised after reading the first example:

·       How many customers? 52 of 100 surveyed, but deeper dives of information reveal a bigger issue affecting 54% of 1M customers.

·       How are we defining “slow”? 8.3 seconds compared to target of 4 – double our target time.

·       What experience specifically are they referring to? “…9 second delay before they could select their profile”

·       What is the experience they are looking for? Our target time is 4 seconds (which some may argue is still too long, but at least it states this)

·       When was this an issue? June 2024

The trouble with weasel words is that even when you know them and can spot them, there is always the temptation to use them. Disclaimer: I was caught using a few weasel words as "placeholders", while I was working to fill in some gaps in a document I was writing.

 Take a look at your writing and see if you can spot them. Challenge yourself to get more specific and data driven.

* Weasel words underlined in case you were curious: Weasel words don’t add any substantial value. They significantly detract from your message and can often make your reader think you don’t know what you are talking about. Many times, writers lean on weasel words because they should have spent more time collecting data. The writer could have probed deeper but didn’t. I could go on, but hopefully you get the gist.

If you have enjoyed reading this, feel free to buy me a coffee to fuel future articles. Thanks