Wow Describing Words

[Monica Okane]

Usingdescriptive words can bring characters to life in a novel or short story, sell an item in a product advertisement, convince an audience in a persuasive writing piece, explain the setting of a news story, or provide instructions for a DIY project. Using illustrative descriptors makes your writing impossible to put down because your sentences are more vivid.

When developing a new product, you are likely to go through several tasting sessions before finalizing a formula. Using the same lexicon when describing taste and flavor can help the product developer and flavorist understand desired flavor adjustments and speed up the process of achieving the expected taste and mouthfeel.

When coming up with an idea for a new podcast, what words would you use to describe the perfect person to host the show? If you are the host, what words would you want your listeners to use to describe you?

There are more than 150 new people here since #33. Not sure why there are so many new people signing up\u2013but I\u2019m glad you are here. If you are looking for some reader favorites from the archives, I\u2019d suggest reading, \u201CWhat is the Value of Platforms Anyway?...Or...The False Choice Between Reach and Revenue,\u201D \u201CAre We Witnessing The Death of the Episodic Narrative?\u201D \u201CThe Hollywood Messiah Is Never Coming,\u201D \u201CLet\u2019s Rethink Episodes,\u201D \u201CPodcasting Is Social Media,\u201D \u201CDoes Podcasting Lack A Middle Class?\u201D and \u201CWhat Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, and Barack Obama Taught Me About Podcasting.\u201D

But not quite yet, I wanted to share something that has been rattling around my head for the past two weeks. That\u2019s the main thing. I was looking for a particular Christmas song and came across a bunch of old mix CD tracks that I used to share and thought these deserved to see the light of day again. Links below.

Turns out, many people use almost identical words to describe the perfect podcast host\u2014regardless of the genre, style, or target audience\u2014and I\u2019d like to retire a good number of them\u2026forever.

Back in 2003, I was reading Toby Young\u2019s memoir How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. In it, he shares that while working at Vanity Fair, he learned that VF\u2019s editor Graydon Carter had a list of 147 words that were not allowed to appear in Vanity Fair because they were \u201Cempty modifiers\u201D\u2014words so overused that they become devoid of actual specific meaning. One day, while listening to the radio after reading that book, I heard an announcer describe a Brahms concerto, the Goodyear blimp, the feeling you get when helping others, and the weather all using the same modifier: \u201Cbeautiful\u201D\u2014and all within a few minutes. I thought to myself, \u201CWhat do those things have in common?\u201D

If you find yourself wanting to use one of these words, I have an easy anecdote. Simply answer \u201Cwhy.\u201D Why is it beautiful? Why is it fascinating? Why is it spectacular? The answer to your \u201Cwhy\u201D question is your distinct descriptor. Use it instead.

I still use the list to this day. If I\u2019m reviewing copy that contains these words\u2014I ask the writer to replace it with something more specific, intentional to the subject, and meaningful. And boy, do my teams LOVE catching me using one of these words in my own writing.

Since the very earliest days of Magnificent Noise, before our company even had a name, we have started off new projects (either projects for clients or ourselves) by holding a three-hour design workshop to answer a handful of intentionality questions around what a project is, who it is for, what message it is trying to share, etc (\u201CThem\u201D \u201CYou\u201D \u201CWhat\u201D \u201CWhy\u201D). The photo at the top of this dispatch was from our first workshop as a company\u2014so early on that we did it in Jesse\u2019s living room and used her kids\u2019 art easel as a dry erase board for the workshop. Many of the workshop exercises are also found in my book, Make Noise. One regular workshop exercise centers on describing the host of the project. This is the prompt we use as part of the pre-workshop homework:

\u201CNo one can be described with one word. Most people, especially those hosting podcasts, are multi-faceted. In your mind, who should be hosting the show? Describe this person. Is he or she serious? Funny? The person with all the answers...or the person with all the questions?\u201D

I shared this list with my Magnificent Noise colleagues, who also sit in on a number of these workshops and hear these same words over and over again too. While they thought my brief draft list was spot on, they didn\u2019t have any new suggestions to add. Still bothered at the brevity of my list, I decided to reach out for some help.

I\u2019ve been playing around with both Lex and ChatGPT lately (and while they are super intriguing and clever, I haven\u2019t found very many practical uses for them yet \u2026with one amazing exception: take a transcript of anything, paste it into ChatGPT, and ask it to come up with a bullet point summary in complete sentences\u2014I put the transcript of a recent three-hour workshop into it and the bot spit out an amazing summary of the workshop, with all major points, in about three seconds).

\u201CIt's possible that some of the words listed above could be considered overused or cliche in the context of describing podcast hosts. For example, words like \u2018credible,\u2019 \u2018relatable,\u2019 and \u2018engaging\u2019 are often used to describe a wide range of people and things, so they may not provide a very specific or unique description of a podcast host. Additionally, some of the words on the list, such as \u2018fun\u2019 and \u2018interesting,\u2019 are quite subjective and could mean different things to different people,\u201D it replied.

When I pasted this post so far into ChatGPT and asked if it had any thoughts on all this, it commented, \u201COne thing to keep in mind is that the words used to describe podcast hosts will depend on the individual host and the type of podcast they are hosting. For example, a host who is known for their humorous anecdotes and quick wit might be described using words like \u2018hilarious\u2019 and \u2018witty,\u2019 while a host who covers serious and thought-provoking topics might be described using words like \u2018insightful\u2019 and \u2018informative.\u2019 Ultimately, the best words to describe a podcast host will depend on the specific qualities and characteristics that make that person unique.\u201D (Reminder again, the last two paragraphs are verbatim quotes from an AI bot.

We can argue about the general misuse in our culture of the word \u201Cunique,\u201D but the point of this list, and this dispatch, is to stop using words that describe\u2026any host. Focus on what is different about them. Focus on what is different about your new show. Words like \\\"entertaining\\\" and \\\"informative\\\" and \\\"engaging\\\" don't capture the spirit of what all the different and amazing hosts in podcasting bring, so let's try to be more specific. Because through that specificity, we find distinction. And as I often tell people, successful podcasts are the podcasts with the clearest idea of what they are and who they are for.

Before there were 100 million tracks instantly available on streaming services, I used to collect Christmas music. Surprise\u2026I focused on obscure, unnoticed, unremembered, and odd Christmas music.

Back when mixtapes were a thing\u2026and then when mix CDs were a thing\u2026and when giving a mix that you put some time into was considered a semi-respectable holiday gesture\u2026I used to put together a mix of favorite holiday tracks every year for my friends.

One of my favorite of these holiday mixes was the one I created in 2006, which I recently stumbled across, so I thought I\u2019d share a shareable version of that mix/playlist, called Ho Ho \u201806.

I almost didn\u2019t share it because the Evil Overlords at Apple Music won\u2019t let me include the opening track for some reason. It is the so-bad-it-becomes-good \u201CChristmas in the Stars\u201D from the long-forgotten Star Wars Christmas Album (yes, it is C-3PO singing to R2D2 explaining the meaning of Christmas). Quite the confusion-causing banger. Yet, even missing that curtain-raiser and a few other obscure selections that Apple wouldn\u2019t let me upload, it\u2019s a pretty-great collection.

Okay, that\u2019s it for now. I plan to jump in with another dispatch before the year is out, but whatever holiday you celebrate at the end of this month, I hope it\u2019s fun. I also hope you take some time to rest and recharge. God knows what 2023 has in store for us, seriously.

The words used to describe the food on your menu are just as critical as food presentation. It can mean the difference in converting people browsing the internet for places to eat to new customers or in upselling your more expensive menu items. There are many words to describe food that help convey its taste, texture, and preparation method in an appealing manner. Use our list of food adjectives below to find the best way to describe the food on your menu.

The flavor of food is what customers focus on most when they are deciding what to eat. How you engineer your menu can help build anticipation, and a good food description could convince a hesitant customer to try something new. With this in mind, be precise and thorough when choosing words to describe your food's flavor.

Another consideration when describing your food is texture. Properly using food adjectives to describe mouthfeel helps your guests to imagine what it will be like to eat your food before they order it.

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