Stop Using This One Word to 10x the Quality of Your Tech Writing
If I never see this word again it will be too soon.
Obtain.
Have you ever obtained anything in your life? Have you ever, on finding yourself in need of a fresh salad cucumber, headed out of the door and called back over your shoulder to your housemate:
"Back in a mo, just popping over to Sainsbury's* in order to obtain a cucumber."
If you have then please message me I want to know all about you.
But you probably didn't. You probably went to go get a cucumber.
In my work as a tech content writer, I see a lot of unhelpful and counterproductive obtaining. It's in web copy, landing pages, emails, blog posts, white papers, and newsletters.
Tech companies who are doing genuinely useful, interesting, valuable things that serve the actual needs of real people accidentally go all weird and start writing like an 18th century Earl.
Imagine this.
You are at a dinner party. You look nice, well done for leaving your house.
Someone comes up to you and says:
"Would you like to obtain a glass of tropical fruit punch with me?"
How would you feel?
What would you think about this person?
What judgements would you make about them?
For me, I might feel like this person is fairly insecure and is using unnecessarily formal language to try and convey a level of authority and confidence that they deeply do not feel.
I might think that they are likely to be a bit of a show off, and that they are unlikely to offer me honest, humble, connecting conversation.
Compare this with someone who comes up to you and says:
"Would you like to get a fruit punch with me?"
Now, granted, this does not make much of an impression. But, crucially, it does not make a bad impression.
This is a very pedestrian, muggle-level drink-related conversation starter. But it shows me that this person understands how to not be scary and that they can be polite and unthreatening.
Given the ambient level of terror implied in any dinner party setting, this would be a welcome relief.
Be a welcome relief for your readers
Given the ambient level of terror implied in all of life, I professionally recommend that wherever possible you try and be a source of polite and unthreatening kindness to your readers.
It is extremely possible to write about complicated tech services in a kind and useful way.
You do not want your company to give imaginary-dinner-party-person-number-1 energy.
You don't want your writing to seem like its trying to convey a level of authority and confidence that it deeply does not feel.
Clarity and simplicity above all.
If you wouldn't say it, chances are you shouldn't write it. Think about the last time you said obtain. And now never write it again.
*This polemic against the word obtain is not sponsored by Sainsbury's
