In today’s fast-paced business environment, clear, easy-to-understand communication is paramount. Yet, jargon and acronyms often clutter our messages, creating barriers rather than bridges. Whether you’re drafting a business memo, an email, or a proposal, don’t bog your reader down with confusing terms and acronyms.
This blog explains when to use jargon and when to avoid it, ensuring your writing is accessible to all readers.
What is Jargon?
At its best, jargon is specialized language, expressions, or acronyms specific to a particular industry or professional group. It can serve as useful shorthand for insiders but often alienates those outside the group. For example, a sentence like this might make perfect sense to a company insider but confuse and even alienate a new employee:
“The senior CSR needs to submit an up-to-date CNA list to the CSM by COB Friday”
Instead, you can be clear and inclusive with:
“The senior customer service representative needs to submit an up-to-date customer name & address list to the customer service manager by close of business Friday.”
At its worst, jargon is inflated language used to impress.
The Good and Bad of Jargon
Jargon has its place. Technical language can efficiently convey complex concepts to niche groups. But when jargon is used to impress rather than inform, it becomes an obstacle to communication. Sometimes it’s used by a writer who doesn’t stop to consider how it will land with the audience. A balanced approach is crucial.
Techniques for Clear Communication
1. Use judgement. Understand the context to determine if jargon helps or hinders. In sales, for instance, jargon might instill confidence in your expertise. And if you’re communicating with a group of experts who share a common technical language, jargon can save time for everyone. But if you’re addressing a broad audience, simpler language is more effective. Know your audience.
2. Keep your communication simple. Get in the habit of choosing the simplest way to convey your message. Write to be understood, not to impress.
3. Use as few acronyms as possible. Only use them if they’re important to your message or common knowledge. If you want to use an acronym that comes up several times in the document, write the words in full the first time followed by the acronym in parentheses. Avoid explaining and introducing an acronym if it appears only once in your document.
4. Eliminate needless jargon. The desire to boost your image and sound “professional” can lead speakers to “elucidate” rather than “explain,” and “leverage” rather than “use.”
Use jargon only when it adds value to your message and saves time for your audience. The rest of time, spell things out to keep your message clear and simple.
