Corporate lingo update#
Corporate lingo professional#

So, here again: this word is overused and imprecise. SeamlessĮspecially with respect to technology and how apps play (or don’t play) nicely with each other, seamless is the desired state of being for everything. If you can focus on specific benefits to your audience, especially by addressing strong real-situation examples, you’ll make more sense, earn trust, and get better results. Tell your audience a story or anecdote to give them an example that helps them understand. More than just using a different word, it’s all about what you’re describing that’s “mission-critical.” Aim for authentic reasons and clear points. Save it for when something is actually, honest-to-goodness, I’m-serious-this-is-so-important essential your audience must have it. In short, use “mission-critical” sparingly.

Corporate lingo professional#

A keyboard is mission-critical to my existence as a professional writer, for example.

Corporate lingo update#

The problem with repeatedly saying that something is “mission-critical” is that it’s difficult to gauge when something is actually mission-critical – as in, essential to existence or operation – and when you’re simply talking about a feature, tool, or update that’s simply important or even nice to have. Not to be overly facetious (maybe you are going to Mars?) but any time I read about a mission, I mostly think rockets. Here’s the question: are you going to Mars? 6 examples of bad business jargon (according to one professional writer) – and what to use instead But, “Using corporate jargon,” says Schwartzberg, “even simply haughty words like ‘efficacy,’ ‘iterate,’ ‘synergy,’ and ‘robust,’ signal that the speaker is thinking of themselves and not the audience.”Īnd that’s really the crux, isn’t it? Whether or not you’re doing your best to communicate and help someone understand.

It’s how we communicate, how we relate to one another in different settings. And let’s not forget, humans love slang, idioms, and parlance. A “double-click” here and there could work. Tactical words and phrases support that delivery.”Īt the end of the day (see what I did there?), it’s about the command of what you’re trying to communicate. Having a vibrant and original point is the best way to make sure it will have an impact. “Ultimately, you don’t want your audience to take away your words,” he says. In terms of being “fresh” and relevant, Schwartzberg advises us to focus on conveying fresh points –versus fresh words or phrases. “ the most critical part of strategic storytelling,” he says, “is not the story itself, but where the speaker says something like, ‘This story illustrates why.’ Without that line, the story may be riveting but not relevant.” Schwartzberg adds that a great tool for conveying uniqueness and authenticity is to tell personal stories that illustrate points. “The desire to communicate ‘in fresh ways’ should be reframed as the desire to communicate authentically,” says Joel Schwartzberg, author of “Get to the Point!” and “ The Language of Leadership.” “To convey authenticity, speakers should avoid and reject words and phrases that don’t match their natural speaking style or vocabulary.” Focus on fresh points, not fresh words or phrases It’s even advisable to start teaching writing in your organization because if your messaging is precise, helpful, and includes relatable examples without overdoing the clichéd corp-speak, well, that’s where the rubber really meets the road.

Research indicates that clearer language helps people not only understand, but trust what you’re saying. (I think that means to improve your focus? Let’s hope.)īut we can’t just make fun of overused business jargon. Many people added their corp-speak pet peeves to our recent community post about business jargon, with examples like “action that,” “the ask is,” and my new (cringey) favorite, from community leader Brittany Joiner, “single throat to choke.” Get stories like this in your inbox Subscribe