On Cue with Kafui DEY: Talking like a boardroom memo on live television

There’s a particular accent that kills interviews instantly.

It’s not Ghanaian or British.
It’s corporate.

You hear it when someone says, “At this point in time…” instead of “Now.”
Or “Going forward” instead of “Next.”
Or “We are leveraging synergies” instead of anything human.

This mistake is common among executives, policymakers, and professionals who were trained to sound formal to be respected. In boardrooms, that language works. In media, it suffocates meaning.

Television is not a strategy meeting.
Radio is not an annual report.
A podcast is not a policy brief.

When you speak like a memo, people stop listening, not because they are unintelligent, but because you are distant.

I once coached a brilliant fintech founder before a TV interview in Accra. On paper, his solution was revolutionary. On air, he described it with so much jargon that viewers thought it was a government regulation, not a product they could use.

The damage is subtle but serious.
Your idea feels complicated.
Your leadership feels removed.
Your credibility weakens quietly.

Media rewards simplicity. Not because audiences are simple—but because attention is scarce.

If your message can’t survive translation into everyday language, it won’t survive a headline.

The fix is not to “dumb it down.” That phrase misses the point. You’re not reducing intelligence. You’re increasing reach.

Short sentences help.
Concrete examples help.
Real-life comparisons help.

Instead of “macroeconomic instability,” say “prices rising faster than salaries.”
Instead of “operational restructuring,” say “we’re changing how we work.”

Here’s a useful test: if a taxi driver, market woman, or university student can repeat what you said in one sentence, you succeeded.

Authority in media doesn’t come from complexity.
It comes from clarity.

Speak like a person who understands their subject deeply enough to explain it simply.

That’s not weakness.
That’s mastery.

Find Kafui Dey on LinkedIN

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