Beating Business Jargon

© GettyImages
Ullver

Pick the right words for jargon-free communication.

The business world is overflowing with unnecessary jargon – words that do more to confuse co-workers and customers than to help them.

Here are three examples: "punch a puppy" (do a bad thing that's good for business); "peel the onion" (look at an issue in detail); and "take a thought shower" (come up with some ideas).

The words may be familiar, but the phrases ask more questions than they answer. And you risk alienating your team members, or losing their goodwill, if your choice of words is baffling or annoying. This is especially true when you're trying to give them important information.

But jargon is not all bad. Technical language can actually be an aid to good communiction, if it's delivered in the right setting and to the right people. The important thing is to know your audience, and to know the difference between good and bad jargon.

In this article, we'll examine how jargon can reduce the clarity of your communication, and how it can affect your authority as a leader. We'll look at ways to stamp out the wrong kind of jargon, and how to use the right kind effectively, when it is appropriate.

...