Stop Using Jargon: How Corporate Buzzwords Harm Communication and Productivity
Jargon, the specialized language used by people in a certain profession or industry, has become a common tool in corporate communication. However, a recent study by LinkedIn and Duolingo shows that jargon is hurting communication and productivity in American offices. Technical jargon wastes valuable time, makes communication more challenging, and perpetuates generational differences. Additionally, outdated jargon can damage a person’s sense of belonging and corporate identity. Although jargon may make people sound smart or belonging, it reduces clarity, excludes less familiar users, and hinders professional growth. The overuse of jargon and buzzwords also makes speakers seem desperate and too invested in their work identity, creating divides within groups and between teams.
Jargon Creates Divides in Communication and Corporate Identity
Jargon has three levels of use, according to Chris Preston, the founder of UK-based culture experts, The Culture Builders. He classifies jargon as global, national, or local, based on whether a person who speaks the language, belongs to the nationality, or team and location, understands it. Each level creates an internal group and an external group in communication, leading to misunderstandings and confusion. Jargon creates ruptures in corporate identity by excluding unfamiliar people and members who disagree with the use of certain phrases. Additionally, it can perpetuate generational differences and create communication barriers that affect productivity, individual growth, and corporate unity.
Outdated Jargon Damages Corporate Identity and Belonging
The study reveals that some jargon phrases are no longer acceptable in the corporate world. For instance, terms such as “bottom of the totem pole,” “blacklist,” or “the Peanut Gallery” are no longer tolerated in professional settings. Dr. Hope Wilson, Senior Learning and Curriculum Manager at Duolingo, believes that such jargon creates a break in the common corporate identity and leads to a sense of exclusion for members who are unfamiliar with the phrases. Furthermore, some former employees find old jargon outdated or offensive, causing a rift between them and current employees who still use the words. This fracture can be difficult to treat without conscious effort to address language use in the workplace.
Jargon Reduces Clarity, Excludes Users, and Harms Professional Growth
Jargon harms communication clarity by creating a language barrier to those unfamiliar with the specific terms. The technical language is often used to sound smart or to express hidden meanings or concepts. However, 57% of 8,000 professionals surveyed said technical jargon wastes valuable time, negatively affecting productivity and creativity. Overusing jargon in emails, presentations, and meetings can exclude team members who are less familiar with the terms, making them feel out of place and left behind. Professionals from non-English speaking backgrounds or households feel they are more disadvantaged when using technical jargon, making work difficult and negatively impacting their professional learning opportunities.
Overuse of Jargon Makes Speakers Sound Desperate
The study warns that too much jargon damages professional reputation and personal growth. Catherine Fisher, a LinkedIn careers expert, cautions that people should not have to solve language puzzles to get work done and find opportunities for growth. Using too much jargon creates a barrier for new members, excludes non-native speakers, reduces clarity, and negatively impacts productivity. Moreover, excessive use of jargon can make speakers seem desperate by trying to belong, ultimately affecting their professional goals.
Summary
Jargon is a common tool in corporate communication, but a recent study by LinkedIn and Duolingo shows that this habit harms productivity and communication. Technical language creates a language barrier, makes communication more challenging between teams and regions, and perpetuates generational differences. Outdated jargon can damage a person’s sense of belonging and corporate identity. Excessive jargon excludes less familiar users and hinders professional growth and personal development. To avoid these problems, speakers should use straightforward language that is easy to understand and does not exclude anyone.
How to Avoid Jargon in Corporate Communication
The use of jargon and buzzwords in corporate communication can negatively affect productivity, communication clarity, and corporate identity. Here are some tips on how to avoid using jargon and speak plainly and clearly in the workplace:
1. Speak the language of your audience: Know your audience and speak their language to make communication more comfortable and effective. Avoid technical terms and jargon that create a barrier to understanding.
2. Avoid unnecessary words: Use short sentences, plain language, and avoid filler words such as “um” and “ah”. Keep it simple and to the point.
3. Use active voice: Use the active voice in writing and speaking to make sentences more straightforward and to demonstrate initiative.
4. Ask for feedback: Encourage feedback from colleagues, peers, or managers to check your language use and to gauge the comprehension among different audiences.
5. Demonstrate empathy: Understand the feelings and emotions of your audience, and don’t assume that everyone understands the jargon and buzzwords you use. Use empathy to build trust, to create connection, and to avoid exclusion.
6. Play it safe: When in doubt, try to convey what you mean without resorting to corporate jargon. Keep your words straightforward, use metaphors or analogies, and avoid using inside jokes or references.
Conclusion
In conclusion, excessive jargon and buzzwords at work reduce clarity, hinder productivity, perpetuate generational differences, and damage corporate identity. Work environments must embrace clear and straightforward language to promote cooperation, productivity, and creativity. Incorporating active voices, short sentences, avoiding unnecessary filler words, and asking for feedback can help speakers communicate more effectively. Finally, demonstrating empathy and plain communication improves teamwork, builds trust, and creates a safe, inclusive community in the workplace.
References:
1. Most hated corporate buzzwords
2. Speak English? On some US job sites, fluent Mandarin speakers need not apply
3. Stop Using Jargon: How Corporate Buzzwords Harm Communication and Productivity
4. How to Avoid Jargon in Corporate Communication By Stephanie Rodriguez
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It’s unlikely that your co-workers spend their days lining up ducks or trying to herd a group of cats—yet people in American businesses use those phrases every day.
In a post-pandemic world, office jargon is becoming more prevalent were met with confusion and, in some cases, insult– where experts cautionary phrases like “Boiling the Ocean” only complicate communication.
It comes as a new report from LinkedIn and Duolingo identified not only the most confusing but also the most commonly used phrases in US offices.
The study, which included people aged 18 to 76, also identified the wording that is no longer acceptable in professional settings.
And if you’re a fan of the phrase “making the ocean boil” (meaning taking on an impossible task), there’s bad news: the majority of respondents found this phrase to be the most confusing.
Other confusing phrasing included ‘sitting cats’ (a difficult task, especially in terms of organization), ‘ducks in a row’ (planning), ‘moving the needle’ (with an effect people notice), and ‘on the flagpole run up”. ” (Testing the popularity of a suggestion).
Also in the list of the top 10 most confusing phrases were “who drink Kool-Aid” (demonstrate obedience), “out of pocket” (unavailable or unavailable), “build the plane while you fly it” (participate in a project, before it’s done). fully thought out), “throw spaghetti against the wall” (take several tries to see what will be a success) and “worth the effort” (an effort justified by the result).
The problem with sentences like this is actually makes it harder to communicate clearly between teams and regions, said Chris Preston, founder of UK-based culture experts The Culture Builders.
He explained that there are three levels of jargon: global – phrases understood by a person who speaks a language; national – something that only people of a certain nationality would understand; or local – something that only people on a specific team or location would understand.
“Jargon creates an internal group and an external group,” Preston said in a call wealth. “People often use these phrases because they think they sound smart, or because they heard someone else say them and think they sound smart.
“Often it’s ambitious, but if you actually listen As the best speakers and leaders, they use stories and metaphors to get their point across, not jargon.”
Jargon hurts productivity
Of the 8,000 professionals in eight countries surveyed for the study, 57% said technical jargon wasted their time several times a month.
The evidence also supports Preston’s theory: 49% of respondents said they have a colleague at least once a week uses a phrase that sounds like a foreign language.
“If I use a lot of jargon and the person I’m talking to doesn’t understand it, that’s on me,” Preston said. “It is not the listener’s job to try to interpret what is being said. You should think about how you can increase engagement.”
As Gen Z enters the workforce increasingly hybrid and online, jargon can also perpetuate generational differences that only really become a problem when groups are formed.
Such tensions could arise from jargon that is now considered obsolete, with the LinkedIn and Duolingo report highlighting a number of phrases that are no longer tolerated in a corporate environment.
In the US, these include “bottom of the totem pole” (something unimportant), “blacklist” (ban), or “the Peanut Gallery” (a source of irrelevant criticism).
dr Hope Wilson, Senior Learning and Curriculum Manager at Duolingo, said wealth that the use of phrases that are no longer accepted by some employees can lead to a “break in the common corporate identity”.
She added: “The employees who use this jargon will feel an affinity for one another that others do not share. And when the jargon is downright offensive, as is the case with some terms, that rupture becomes all the stronger.
“Unfortunately, these types of fractures are difficult to treat without conscious effort. People are generally pretty bad at analyzing our own use of language, and so it can be difficult to identify the roots of these divisions unless someone is explicitly analyzing and addressing the way language is used in the workplace.”
It makes you sound desperate
Jargon could not only waste your co-workers’ time but also interfere with your professional goals, cautioned LinkedIn careers expert Catherine Fisher.
“The ability to ‘speak the talk’ is beneficial for workers who understand the jargon, but wrongly excludes and leaves behind those who are less familiar with those terms,” she explained wealth. “You shouldn’t have to solve language puzzles just to get work done and find opportunities for growth.
“This disproportionately affects those whose first language may not be English. Professionals from non-English speaking households or backgrounds – including two-thirds of Latino workers (64%) and those who are fluent in English as a second language (67% FESL) – feel they are more disadvantaged when using technical jargon.”
dr Wilson added that the use of technical jargon “can damage a person’s sense of belonging”.
She explained: “When you don’t understand what a colleague is saying you feel embarrassed and sometimes even like a scammer – and it’s even worse when you’re the only person in the whole room who doesn’t understand what’s going on. ‘ and everyone else nods.
“Also, it’s worth noting that excessive use of jargon isn’t a good thing, even when you know the other people in the room will understand what you’re saying. Jargon is a tool for representing a workplace identity. So what does it say when every other word out of your mouth is a piece of technical jargon? It can sound like you really want to belong.”
https://fortune.com/2023/06/13/most-cringeworthy-jargon-stop-using-in-office-no-one-understands-it/
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