Corporate Gobbledygook: ‘What Did That Even Mean?’
You’ve seen it before: an email stuffed with phrases you don’t fully understand hits your inbox, encouraging your team to use “blue sky thinking” to “maximize synergy” and drive “mission-critical initiatives” forward.
After reading (and re-reading) that jargon-packed email, you’re left scratching your head, trying to decode a jumble of words to figure out what the sender is even asking.
We’re all too familiar with these buzzwords that often do more harm than good. They dominate our business conversations and are an ever-increasing part of the corporate landscape. They roll off the tips of our tongues as easily as a discussion of the day’s weather.
However, if the primary objective of communication is to foster understanding, why are we complicating our conversations?
When communicating with current or potential business partners, we should strive for clarity. There’s no need for these buzzwords in our messaging — in fact, they often elicit eye rolls.
The key to avoiding confusion (and annoying our audience to the point they turn away) is quite simple: focus on concise communication.
Crafting messaging with clarity conveys ideas effectively and elicits stronger connections with your audience. Extra “fluff” rarely helps, over-explanation hurts, and buzzwords diminish the impact of your words, turning “all killer, no filler” into “all filler, no killer.”
Address your colleagues and clients with authenticity and cut through the noise to communicate with meaning.
Relying on buzzwords often stems from a lack of storytelling expertise. This jargon masks the meaning of your message, diluting its impact on your audience. Stepping away from corporate terms requires more thoughtful word choices, prompting you to consider what you’re really trying to say and how you can best express it.
Before speaking or writing, ask yourself, “is there a simpler way to convey my message?” Simplicity is a strength that is often overlooked. It makes complex ideas more digestible and allows you to connect to your audience on a deeper level. Conversations that aren’t crowded with phrases we barely understand allow for more meaningful and productive dialogue.
Removing corporate slang improves your storytelling tenfold. Sometimes, less really is more.
Speaking simply might feel foreign — we’ve widely adopted corporate speak as a social norm in the business world. Overusing corporate lingo can be a barrier to effective communication — wouldn’t conversation feel more productive if we cut to the chase and spoke freely?
We’re so often “circling back” and taking conversation “offline” that we forget to communicate directly. Let’s prioritize genuine storytelling to truly “move the needle” and revolutionize our workplaces!