Use jargon strategically

It seems the JARGON episode struck a chord. Several people told me they’re now more conscious than ever of their words. That’s a good thing!

Have you ever considered that Jargon can be 🤣funny?!?

In case you don’t believe me (and even if you do), PLEASE check out this video of hockey players and how they use jargon!

(Bet you can’t get past “keep it simple” without cracking a smile!
You’ll be laughing-out-loud by “gettin’ pucks deep.” Classic!)

SO WHY DO WE USE JARGON?

At least 4 reasons why we use jargon: BELONGING

Consider industry conference attendees. The conversations and presentations would be filled with jargon, signalling that the presenter belongs with this group.
Consider teenagers, who are constantly adopting new vocabulary, teen jargon, that signals their belonging to a generation.

image @ elloitt reyna
Teens are infamous for how they use jargon!

HIDING SOMETHING

Consider legal and privacy contracts: hiding the details they don’t want us to read.
Consider politicians‘ answers to journalists’ questions: they don’t want to be held accountable

EXPERTISE

Simply by using certain terms and phrases, we implicitly communicating our expertise.

LAZINESS

It’s unfortunate, but we also use jargon simply because it is a bad habit. Sometimes our jargon can become a crutch word, a word or phrase that we use almost by default.

HOW CAN WE LEARN TO AVOID JARGON?

Consider your Audience

Be strategic when you use jargon. Consider your audience, and particularly whether jargon is appropriate.
(By the way, this is important advice in general for effective communication. Consider your audience!)

Ask for Feedback

Ask a family member. Ask a work colleague. What annoying jargon do I use?
Make sure they know you genuinely want to know because you’re trying to clarify your communication.

Record and Listen to Yourself

Recording and listening to yourself is absolutely the toughest, but also the most effective way to make improvements in your communication and to learn to avoid using jargon. (As a podcaster, I catch myself when I’m editing my audio files!)

That’s it for how to use JARGON!

I hope you enjoy the podcast. Please email me anytime to let me know what you think about this episode. I’d also ❤️ love to hear your recommendations for future communication-skills related topics we should cover. Thank you!

Have a great week!