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Is your
speech and writing filled with words like “bandwidth”, “best
of breed”, “paradigm shift,” or “push the envelope?”
If so, then
you might be a "jargon-aholic" and “speak like an
idiot” according to the authors of a book aimed at helping
business people eliminate jargon. The book “Why
business people speak like idiots” is a 175-page screed
against buzzwords.
“Let’s face
it,” write the authors, Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway, and Jon
Warshawsky, “Business today is drowning in bull----. We try
to impress (or confuse) investors with inflated letters to
shareholders. We punish customers with intrusive hype-filled,
self-aggrandizing product literature. We send elephantine
progress reports to employees that shed less than two watts of
light on the big issues or hard truths.”
The book
says that business people rely on jargon because they fall
into four traps:
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The
obscurity trap: “The obscurity trap catches idiots
desperate to sound smart or prove their purpose, and lures
them with message killers like jargon, long-windedness,
acronyms, and evasiveness.”
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The
anonymity trap: We use jargon in an
attempt to sound like everyone else, rather than simply
speaking in plain language and being ourselves.
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The
hard-sell trap: This is the tendency to paper-over
shortcomings with buzzwords as a way of making a quick sale.
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The
tedium trap: This is the tendency to fill memos and
presentations with tedious explanations and numbers rather
than bringing to life the communication with stories.
At
Speechworks we agree with the authors’ fundamental premise
that people often communicate more to impress rather than to
connect and inform. Great communication is about
helping an audience and moving them.
“It’s
about connection, not perfection.”
At
Speechworks we help our clients learn how to communicate in a
way that connects and persuades. If you’re interested in
becoming a great communicator give us a call at 404-266-0888
or check out our website at
www.speechworks.net |
