Like anything consumed by the public — such as music, clothes or cars — words and phrases also come in and out of fashion. (Can you dig it?)
Business, too, seems to generate its own kind of jargon, which blows up and out into the conversations of every tedious conference call, pixilated Zoom and yawning PowerPoint.
Fifteen years ago, we all had to monetize. Later we were told to disrupt. Now we have to pivot.
Business lingo is not new. A 2014 article in The Atlantic traces its origins to the early 20th century. New uses for words and new phrases catch our attention, certainly, and may even be useful — up to a point. Overuse, however, leaves us uninspired and tired.
To paraphrase the command that follows toddler tantrums everywhere: How about we use our words, not someone else’s? More specifically, let’s use our brains to find better, clearer words.
My specialty is public relations and communications. Yours may be insurance, supply chain logistics or durable medical goods. It doesn’t matter what you’re offering or who your audience is — if you constantly speak in jargon or cliches, people will stop listening. Whether that audience is your employees or your customers, that’s a problem.
I can’t tell if the pandemic-driven explosion in videoconferencing is causing this latest overabundance of mind-numbing garbage language (itself a term coined by writer Anna Wiener). Or maybe my awareness of it is heightened because videoconferencing demands we actually pay attention.
Remember a few years ago, when every parent knew all the words to “Let it Go?” Not because it’s a great song. It isn’t. It’s because they heard it constantly. Every. Single. Day. The song was the earworm from hell, yet when the kids unleashed another verse, everyone sang along.
Too tired to fight it, parents popped another Tylenol, set the cruise control, gripped the steering wheel and belted out, “Let it goooooo!” all the while asking themselves, “Are we there yet?”
We’re all tired and we may be Zoomed out, but instead of falling into jargon and buzzwords that sounds like something but explain nothing, let’s do this instead.
When the fashionable word pops into your head, think of three more words that better explain what you need to communicate. (Feel free to use an online thesaurus. Looking for new words is fun and can be, dare I say it, exciting.) Pick one of those instead.
If you find you’re drawn to jargon, ask yourself, “Why?” Is it because you’ve heard it used again and again, therefore it must be the right word? Do you feel safer using terms other people use? Try instead to speak or write in your own voice. After all, no one knows what you want to say better than you.
Pay attention to jargon-laden presentations. Do you truly understand the point? Are you bored? If you answered no, and yes, then don’t emulate what you just saw. Find a way to tell the story better. Read more novels.
Seriously, it’s great to stay current on industry publications, but regardless of your profession, reading novels gives you insights into how people — especially people different from you and your friends — think, speak and live. Reading novels stimulates your mind, broadens your vocabulary, and reduces stress. All good ways to improve your thinking in the business world.
The best reason to avoid garbage language is that when using it you’re not being genuinely you. You’re hiding behind the latest fad, leaving you indistinguishable among the crowd. Plan a little better, think a little harder, and use your words.
Felicia K. Knight is president of The Knight Canney Group, a public relations consultancy based in Portland. She can be reached at felicia@knightcanney.com.