Skimming through Board Speak

The memo that the Yahoo! Board sent to all employees after the former CEO Carol Bartz was fired is a good example of Board Speak. Big sentences, grand words, but it is unclear whether a cynical audience believes them with their heart:

In addition, the ELC will support a comprehensive strategic review that the Board has initiated to position the Company for future growth.  We are confident that we have talented teams in place and see enormous opportunities on which Yahoo! can capitalize, and right now we are focused on leveraging the Company’s leadership and current business assets and platforms to execute against these.  We fully intend to return the Company to a path of robust growth and industry-leading innovation.  We are committed to exploring and evaluating possibilities and opportunities that will put Yahoo! on a trajectory for growth.

The likely scenario is that people skim over all the text that contains the usual buzzwords, and extracts from the memo the pieces of information that are relevant: the names of new executives and their roles. When designing corporate communication, put yourself in the shoes of the audience.

The full text of the leaked Yahoo! memo is here on Business Insider.