How to talk your way out of jargon?
If only we had a pound for every time we heard this phrase!
I remember once having to explain a Scottish phrase to an international colleague.
‘Haud yer wheesht’ I’d say (politely) to my mum on the phone.
Having grown up in China this was somewhat new to my colleague.
Her English was excellent, but this was another level!
“What’s a wheesht?”
“Erm… I don’t really know.”
“And you’re meant to hold it?”
“Well… yeah. It means shut-up, but kind of like an affectionate shut-up.”
She loves the phrase. Well, I assume so anyway as she says it to me constantly.
Charming though it may be, local dialect can create a barrier with your audience.
It’s a form of jargon we often fail to realise we’re using.
We must remember to use words and phrases that our audience will understand.
By using jargon, we run the risk of doing the exact opposite.
Once our audiences fail to understand what we’re saying they may lose focus as they try to work it out, or simply disengage completely.
There are three types of jargon that often appear in communication.
Here’s how to handle them:
1. Local jargon
There are many words and phrases that may feel universal but are actually very local.
One of the more famous examples is England Women’s Football Manager, Sarina Weigman.
She hails from the Netherlands.
As such, attending a press conference and hearing a journalist explain that “the cat’s out the bag” was a bit confusing.
The look of “why are you keeping your cats in a bag?” is etched on her face!
A look I’d suggest we avoid in our audiences.
It was handled with good humour and eventually explained to her, but this was only down to Sarina choosing to question the phrase.
Audiences rarely get that chance.
Even within the same country, there can be problems.
If someone from Dundee asks you to drive through a couple of circles, they mean roundabouts.
If someone from Edinburgh or Glasgow calls you a rocket, it’s an insult.
In Dundee, they think you’re attractive.
If you wish to retain the charm of some local dialect, that is absolutely fine.
Please just remember to explain these to your audience!
2. Acronyms
What does PR stand for? As a runner, I’d insist it’s a personal record. Although I’d call that a PB (personal best), something a chemist would see as the chemical symbol for Lead.
However, I remember doing modern studies in school and learning about proportional representation when doing electoral systems.
Americans may use this when referring to the overseas territory Puerto Rico.
Paula Radcliffe will initial documents this way. (PR actually set a PR when winning the London Marathon.)
And this is all while avoiding the most common use of PR – public relations.
Acronyms are very useful when one of two conditions is met.
The first is a universal acronym with things like the USA, the BBC, or UFO.
Or acronyms that have just become words themselves like AWOL or IQ.
The second is if you know that everyone in your audience will understand the acronym.
This is useful for internal teams that use these abbreviations on a daily basis.
Ultimately, any acronym is easily explained the first time you use it – if you spell it out!
3. Technical jargon
This is the one we see most of.
High-level words and phrases that those outside the industry are unable to understand.
Whether it’s business clichés, like paradigm shifts and synergy, or technical terms, like real-time gross settlement or lean management, we need to replace these terms with easy-to-understand imagery for your audience.
Instead of terms like flow and supply chain, it would be much easier for your audience to hear the story of your product’s journey.
Storytelling is an incredibly powerful and impactful technique in the world of communications.
It allows people to fully visualise and comprehend what is happening, leading to better performance and fewer questions!
With that in mind, let me finish with a story that shows how difficult these pieces of jargon can be to spot.
A participant in a Pink Elephant workshop many years ago had been told that their presentation included too many Latin phrases.
Their response ‘I wouldn’t say I use too many Latin phrases, per se.’
These pieces of jargon can be ingrained in us, which makes it challenging.
It remains vital that we leave our audience with a message they can fully understand.
Replacing jargon with stories and pictures is the perfect way to achieve this.
How to talk your way out of jargon
Getting rid of jargon is a tough task, but we’re here to help you through it.
We are in the business of helping you build healthy habits.
Get in touch today to find out how we can help you get started.
How to talk your way out of jargon by Pink Elephant Communications.
How to talk your way out of jargon was written by Stuart Fenwick and edited by Maxine Montgomery.
