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When I deliver a speech or communicate in print, one of the words I eschew is “eschew.”

That word, and its cousins such as “paradigm” and any compound word whose second half is “centric,” strike me as pomposities. So what? So this: Pomposities never are as powerful nor as motivational as more direct terminology. Call it non pompous mentis. Or don't.

What brought this thought to the frontal lobes of both the right and left portions of what's left of my brain are current analyses of marketing techniques, many of which spawn in the hot, fertile waters of the Internet.

I've developed a deep disdain for those whose insecurity (at least I guess it's insecurity, the nucleus of pomposity) propels their “communications” into a huff-and-puff dependence on murky language. Clarity trumps obfuscation, doesn't it? We're in an era of minuscule attention spans, and catering to clarity is not only superior communicative psychology, it's superior sales psychology. (In our business, the two are the same.)

One “expert” opinion tells me that “leveraging interactive in a relationship marketing program provides for a lower-cost entry point and a simpler means to sustain the dialogue.” The text goes on to tell me, “Control of the brand is ultimately in consumers' hands through advocacy enablers.” I think I understand this. But I'm fuzzy on one point: Does an advocacy enabler use AA or AAA batteries? I guess I've missed that entry point. Harrumph.

Another startler: “Think holistically about search, using customer personas to guide strategy.” Now who can argue with that? The last time I thought holistically was in a bookstore when I came upon a curious volume titled “The Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog.” I'd have bought it, but since we no longer have a dog I decided against giving the book shelf space. So thinking holistically about customer personas — not customers, mind you, but customer personas — drew a blank. Any other way of wording that, ma'am? Or is this another harrumph?

The initials RSS seem to be a hot topic today, although at a planning meeting of some executives I regard as moguls, not one knew what the initials mean. Just in case they're reading this, I'll repeat the acronymic definition (whee!) from a previous issue of Direct: RSS means Really Simple Syndication, but just about everyone writing “authoritative” analyses seems to miss that middle word “Simple.” An example: “RSS is device agnostic.” Hey, Buddy, I'm agnostic about your capability of explaining “simple” in simple terms, especially when you continue, “It will be important to monitor the effect of feeds on circulation. Nevertheless, there is a countervailing force. RSS aggregators/readers present a steady diet of new information in a readily digestible form.” Oh? Why can't you present this new information in a readily digestible form? Ever hear of the Clarity Commandment? You're writing for marketers, in a marketing publication, not in some arcane technical journal. So: Harrumph.

(I can be more obfuscatory than that, but it means dipping deep into one of the handful of phrases I remember from a high school Latin class — Exitus acta probat — The outcome justifies the deed. Now that's RSS.)

The vice president of technology standards at a company whose Web presence says it “fully integrates repository and governance features while maintaining full synchronization with UDDI data and metadata standards including tModels and categoryBags” confounds us with this definition — and it's in a magazine addressed to me, not to an IT specialist: “A service is a network-accessible function, abstracted behind an interface.” Of course. What else would it be? Harrumph.

I was intrigued by a column that contained this nugget: “The challenge is for the fact-driven, rational marketer to become more relevant to the C-level suite that signed on to the big-idea belief.” I know a profundity is lurking in there, but it would rather tantalize than leave the lair. OK, Buster, go bluster. Harrumph.

How would you have worded this thought: “With the right analytics and strategies, organizations can focus their energy and budgets on those identified as having the greatest propensity to reactivate.”

Harrumph. See what's going on? Non-communicators are invading our sacred soil, using two-dollar words for no purpose other than to — and here I'll use one of their words — pedanticize what so easily could be stated clearly and straightforwardly.

Isn't it time to restate that old dependable, The Clarity Commandment? When you choose words and phrases for force-communication, clarity is paramount. Don't let any other facet of the communications mix interfere with it.

If you're going to communicate, then communicate. Showing off your gigantic vocabulary and your knowledge of esoteric in-terminology may impress others in your office. But hey, others in your office aren't your prospects.

OK, did your attention and comprehension waver for just a moment as you read that last paragraph? Right. I stuck “esoteric” in there, instead of “technical.” It could have been worse. I could have used “abstruse.”

Knowledge of words, in our profession, is a given. Knowledge of how to use words is a learned art. A reasonably bright 8-year-old can structure a communication that's harmonious with the Clarity Commandment. What happens, in our post-puberty periods, to make vocabulary suppression so difficult? Sitting with a thesaurus at your elbow is a dangerous posture if you want your opinions to influence those who don't know what a vocabularial maestro you are.

If you want proof that a touch of vocabulary suppression can be beneficial, note: When you're cautioned against spilling your guts in print, it's less painful for all parties, including you, than being cautioned against spilling your intestines. Less messy, too.

Got it? Oh, you'd rather say, “Obtained it”? Harrumph.

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HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS (www.herschellgordonlewis.com) is the principal of Lewis Enterprises in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He consults with and writes direct response copy for clients worldwide. “Burnt Offerings,” his recently published 30th book, is a dissection of DR fundraising techniques. Among his other books are “Open Me Now,” the curmudgeonly titled “Asinine Advertising,” and “On the Art of Writing Copy” (third edition).