#215: Jargon to you too

Do you hide behind jargon? Come on, admit it. We all do, sometimes. It’s when you rely on it constantly that you create problems.

Jargon is inevitable because it tends to develop quite naturally. When the same group of people come together regularly to work together or play together, they tend to develop a way of expressing themselves which sounds like Greek to outsiders.

Bankers do it, doctors do it, teenagers do it, gangsters do it and so do you.

We create jargon as a communication short-hand. And because it is unique to members it improves understanding within the group while keeping non-members in the dark. In other words, jargon unites the group.

But be careful when and how you use it, because jargon annoys outsiders. In business there is one group of outsiders that you had better not annoy. They are called customers.

Never forget, at times we are all members of that group.



I’m JamesMcIntosh@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2008 James Henry McIntosh

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