S2E9: Corporate Code
How can corporate language contribute to a company’s brand? Why do companies often have at least two different voices that they use to speak to the same customers? And how can organisations deal with the issue of gender-sensitive writing in German, maintaining the balance between inclusion, readability and aesthetics?
In this episode I talk to Martin Dunkl, a public relations consultant who specialises in corporate identity. We talk about ways a company’s language can be used to build its brand and identity, including how a text can be made more understandable to readers, the effect of using dialect in corporate language, and how the use of “du” or “Sie” can help to establish a brand.
Outro music: Cool Down by Euphoniques
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About this episode's guest
Martin Dunkl is a public relations consultant who specialises in corporate identity. He offers writing workshops and has authored books on Corporate Code and how to compose legal texts that are easily understandable.
Email: martin.dunkl@dunkl.com
Website: dunkl.com
Publications
Book:
Corporate Code - Wege zu einer klaren und unverwechselbaren Unternehmenssprache
Springer Gabler, 2015
How can companies develop a distinctive language style? How do you create a consistent and coherent corporate code? How do I use it to reach my dialogue partners and present a likeable, convincing overall image? This book provides answers to these important questions in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. Martin Dunkl combines insights from psychology and linguistics with practical methods of brand management. He explains the background to the effect of corporate language as well as its significance for corporate identity (CI).
(Blurb translated from the German original)
Book:
Recht verständlich formuliert: Klartext statt Amtsdeutsch - Rechtstexte zielgruppengerecht schreiben für Mitarbeiter, Kunden, Bürger
Springer Gabler, 2021
This book shows how complex legal content can be communicated simply and clearly in internal and external communication. Companies, authorities and organisations are often faced with the challenge of having to formulate legally binding texts in a way that is appropriate for the target group. The author provides helpful tools and suggestions for this. You will learn how to prepare notices, applications, judgements, information, etc. in a way that is understandable for laypersons and which psycholinguistic tools can be used to successfully convey legal content. With simple rules, sample texts and practical exercises, you will learn how to write complex content in plain language instead of officialese.
(Blurb translated from the German original)
Links and resources
- Hohenheimer Verständlichkeitsindex: https://klartext.uni-hohenheim.de/hix
- Hamburger Verständlichkeitsmodell: https://wortliga.de/glossar/hamburger-verstaendlichkeitsmodell/
This episode was first released on 10.05.2022.
YOTE theme music by Vincent Tone (PremiumBeat.com)