“…kind of a breakthrough…”

I just watched on YouTube a successful entrepreneur, who I’m sure is a very experienced presenter, speak at TechCrunch.

It surprised me when he characterized his product as “kind of a breakthrough.”

Be wary of modifiers! Your product is either a breakthrough or it isn’t. One would hope the developer would both think it is and say that it is.

“Very unique” is one of my pet peeves. “Unique” is a binary state, like “pregnant”  – you are or you aren’t. No such thing as “very pregnant, somewhat pregnant”, etc. Something is unique, or it isn’t.

unique 

adjective

being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else:

I was told by two entrepreneurs that the other mentor and I were very sensitive about language – this after watching their presentation and giving them feedback. And they were right, we were and I am. Much of what entrepreneurs do involves communications and much of communications is language. So when you review your presentation, don’t just review every slide, review every word. Because every word counts. Every word needs to justify its existence in your presentation.

Author: Mentorphile

Mentor, coach, and advisor to entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. General manager with significant experience in both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Focus on media and information. On founding team of four venture-backed companies. Currently Chairman of Popsleuth, Inc., maker of the Endorfyn app for keeping fans updated on new stuff from their favorite artists. View all posts by Mentorphile