How to Simplify Business Terms for Global Teams

Speaking business and artist - this is one of the hardest parts of working in the creator economy. All day, we talk about ROAS, KPIs, SLAs, etc., and then we have to translate this for an artist (i.e., a creator) to carry out an action. This is not an easy thing to do! Before I send anything over to a creator (or most people, for that matter), I ask myself if my eight-year-old daughter could understand this brief if she read it. If the answer is yes, you've done your job well. If not, go back and simplify. 90% of the issues I see in campaigns today stem from simple communication errors and not stepping out of our shoes and into someone else's to ensure the message is clear. A few examples: 🗓 Timelines: We know when content is going to go live - we have a busy schedule and hit timelines. In the mind of an artist, time is subjective. When communicating, make sure you build in a few days' buffer. Content is due Friday? Ask for it on Tuesday... you'll most likely get it on Friday 🙃 (I know this doesn't apply to everyone, don't come at me hehe). 🗝 KPIs: Instead of saying, "Our primary KPI is to have an above industry standard CTR and ER," you can say, "We're looking for big wins here with your content - drive as many link clicks as possible and ensure the content is engaging to increase likes, comments, and shares." This helps break it down easier. Avoid acronyms! 👥 Audience: "We have contextualized your audience to know that they behave in X, Y, and Z ways - so make sure your content does A, B, C." Instead, empower them with, "You know what works well and doesn't for your audience, how do you suggest we integrate A, B, and C to ensure it is engaging and what they are looking for?" This takes a lot of time and practice. Am I missing anything? Other thoughts? LMK!

I wish I knew this early in my career "Jargon hides ignorance and carries little knowledge" Frank Herbert I used to nod along. Pretended to understand. Faked my enthusiasm for it. Customer centric Comprehensive Transformation Market leading Paradigm shift Innovation Authentic Empower Quality Agile "Sounds wonderful!" When in fact, I felt nothing. These days, I would gag. 🤢 The truth is: After years of working with executive teams and leaders, I realized that these words don't mean much to them either. They are just an easy solve to a complicated strategy problem. No one has the time to step back and dissect the true meaning behind them. And so everyone nods. Everyone agrees. If you are a leader and wish to stir it up a little, be seen as a courageous and contrarian thinker, a thoughtful, strategic mind, when you hear jargon to describe something: 1/ Ask "why?" multiple times to get to the heart of it 2/ Try to describe it in a short story 3/ Rewrite it in terms your mum can understand 4/ Create a list of actions and behaviors 5/ Put them in a list of "do not use" words Using jargon is lazy and it hides the truth. Uncover the truth behind it and you get something more meaningful and actionable. Agree?

One of the biggest problems I find when helping companies such as Meta, Apple, and Intel with their written comms is excessive jargon use. The dictionary says that jargon is “special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.” Kind of like wearing a three-piece tuxedo to a backyard barbecue. The wearer thinks they’re dapper and dandy. Everyone else thinks it’s desperate and overkill. Let’s unpack the four biggest problems with jargon: 1. Jargon Self-Defeats If your goal is to move your reader from "I need to understand this" to "I understand this," jargon is like throwing hurdles in their way. It defeats the very purpose of writing, which is to convey ideas clearly. 2. Jargon Annoys & Reduces Engagement Jargon makes users feel excluded and irritated. This not only stops them from reading but also discourages sharing or discussing the content, leading to missed business and innovation opportunities. 3. Jargon Kills Productivity When people don’t understand what they’re reading in a business setting, they either give up, spend too much time trying to figure it out, or disrupt someone else to ask for help. 4. Jargon Lowest Trust In 2016, the SEC fined Merril Lynch $10 million for misleading investors in their writing. Excessive jargon use can come off as "We're hiding something, or we would put it in plain language." Now that we’ve established why jargon is so problematic, let’s look at 8 ways to avoid it: 1. Tailor your language to the audience's expertise. 2. Use simple, common words when possible. 3. Define specialized terms clearly. 4. Have an outsider review your writing. 5. Use analogies and examples to bring complex ideas to life. 6. Spell out acronyms on first use. 7. Provide concrete details instead of vague jargon. 8. Edit ruthlessly, focusing on clear communication over impressive language. Conclusion: Don’t be the person wearing a fancy three-piece suit at a backyard barbecue. P.S. Ok, let’s have some fun. Craft your most ridiculous jargon-filled sentence and drop it in the comments section. I’ll go first: “In our quest to synergistically leverage cutting-edge lexical optimization protocols, we must hyper-contextualize our mission-critical verbosity reduction initiatives, thereby quantum-leaping our linguistic ROI while simultaneously future-proofing our omni-channel communication matrix against disruptive jargon-centric paradigms in the ever-evolving logosphere of next-gen ideation exchanges.” 😂😂😂

Is There a Simple Way to Explain a Technical Term to a Counterparty? Client? Boss? You’re trying but they look bewildered. Their confusion could lead to disaster. But the more you explain, the more frustrated you’re both getting. So what do you do? Hi, I’m professor Seth Freeman, and my law students, MBA’s, and clients all struggle with that challenge. But what if there was a simple way to explain a difficult concept? To the point: What is a cross default? A young law student can easily explain it in a way that would get a high grade on a law school exam, but when he gives the same explanation to an MBA, the MBA often looks at him cross side. Huh? Here’s a better way: 1. First, explain with the fewest and simplest words you can.  2. Then illustrate with a simple, memorable story.  3. Finally, ask the critical question: "does that make sense?" Quick demonstration : A cross default clause in a loan agreement means if you  default on a debt to someone else, you’re also in default to this lender too. For example, "if the bank that holds your mortgage included a cross default  in the contract, then if you fail to pay your credit card bill to American Express, the bank can say you’re also in default to them, even if you faithfully paid your mortgage. "Does that make sense?" When I ask my MBAs which explanation they prefer, they overwhelmingly favor my explanation to the law students’. Why? Because it succinctly gives them the idea and a story, which reinforce each other and because it checks for understanding I call it the Concept/Story/Understand? Method. Nobel laureate Richard Feyneman said if he couldn’t explain an idea to a freshman then he didn’t understand it himself. Using the Concept/Story/Understand? method helps you both know you’ve both understood. So the next time you need to help someone else understand  a technical term, use Concept/Story/Understand? and see what a difference it can make. Where have you seen confusion about technical terms in negotiations and internal meetings? Who do you know who explains technical terms best and how do they do it? Let me know in the comments. #negotiation #training #transacting #technical Sonia Ben-Yehuda Lisa Safran Audrey C. Durrant,MD,FACS,FAAP 🇯🇲🇨🇦 Erin Potter Albert Chen

GLOBAL COMMUNICATION MINDSET in a DIVERSE ENVIRONMENT ** 思いやりを持って簡潔明瞭なグローバルコミュニケーション ＊＊＊Scroll down for ENGLISH version ＊＊＊ ★写真は、シカゴで開催されたカルチャーコンベンションにおいて、私のレクチャーや講演中に撮られたものです。わかりづらいかもしれませんが、大きな帽子を被って皆の前に立っているのが私です。 ★私の #エンパワーメント #ユニバーサル プログラムの一環として、多種多様な国籍、言語、文化、学歴、理解能力の人々が集まるダイバーシティな環境において、文字や会話を通じて #グローバル に #コミュニケーション をとる時の心構えについて、セミナー等をさせて頂く機会が結構あります。1番大切な要素は、スラング・難しい単語・複雑な長文等を使わずに、簡潔明瞭な内容を簡潔明瞭に伝える事です。自分の語学力や知識を見せびらかそうとするのではなく、相手が理解しやすいように伝える事が大切です。 ★例えば、世界中の様々な人々が使用するこのLinkedInにおいて、わざわざ難しい英単語や複雑な言い回しを使って、自分の英語力を見せびらかすために書かれたような投稿を、見かける事がよくあります。 英語の基礎能力（英検1級）があってアメリカで長く暮らしている私ですら、読みづらいと感じるような投稿を書く人達は、世界中にいる多種多様な読み手の立場を思いやる事など全くないのでしょう。アシスタントやコンテンツライターやChatGPTに投稿を書かせたのだとしたら、それはそれで構わないのですが、書かせる時に、英語を母国語としない人々でも容易に理解できる英語で書くよう指示を出す事をお勧めします。 ★同じような専門知識と理解力を持つ人々が集まる学会等は別として、多種多様な人々が集まるダイバーシティな環境のコンベンション等で講演やレクチャーをする時も、スラング、難しい単語や言い回しは使わないほうが良いでしょう。政治や宗教に関するようなセンシティブな話題も避けたほうが無難です。最も大切な事は、グローバルでダイバーシティな環境で多種多様なバックグラウンドの聞き手が十分に理解できるよう思いやりながら、シンプルな言い回しで、ゆっくり、ハッキリ喋る事です。 ★日本語アクセントで英語を話す小柄な黄色人種女性である私は、ここアメリカにおいては、ダイバーシティ社会におけるマイノリティのチャンピオンのような立場ですから、コンベンションでの講演やレクチャーの冒頭で、その事をしっかり伝え、聞き手との相互理解を図るようにしています。 ★ダイバーシティな環境でのグローバル コミュニケーション マインドセットの軸になるのは、＃簡潔明瞭 な内容および表現方法 と #思いやり です。 ★★★★★★★★★★ ★The photos were taken during the cultural convention in CHICAGO. A woman in a big hat is ANNA myself. ★As part of my #Empowerment #Universal Program, sometimes I give lectures on #global #communication mindset in a #diverse environment. The most important factor is writing / speaking #simply and #clearly without using slang or complicated sentences. You need to try to make diverse readers / listeners understand easily, instead of showing off your  abilities & knowledges. ★For example, here on LinkedIn, users have different nationalities, languages, abilities, cultures, and backgrounds. Some people write their posts with using complicated words & sentences just in order to show off their English abilities & knowledges. They don’t have global mindset and kind consideration at all. They don’t pay any attentions to diverse readers of various backgrounds. They might let their assistants, contents writers, or ChatGPT write their posts. That’s okay, but they should give proper instructions, so that all the diverse readers can understand easily and comfortably. ★When you give speeches in a diverse environment, try to speak clearly and slowly. Also, try to avoid sensitive topics like politics / religions. ★In my case, I myself is considered as a champion of the minority here in a diverse country America. I’m a tiny woman who has yellow skin, Asian eyes, and Japanese accents. I look different, and sound different. When I give lectures and speeches in conventions, I clearly inform participants of my identity as a minority in a diverse country, so that I can establish mutual-understanding between me and participants. ★Simple & clear presentation with kind consideration is the core of global communication mindset in a diverse environment.

I enjoyed attending a book talk yesterday from Stanford professors Bob Sutton & Hayagreeva Rao about The Friction Project. ⏳ 📕 Its main point sings to my long passion for viewing TIME as our MOST VALUABLE ASSET in business and teams. The book argues that great leaders are trustees of others’ time and friction fixers who make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. Ideas that stuck with me: 1️⃣ Beware of addition bias — solving problems by adding people, process, steps, tools. Companies do this 100x more than they subtract. This adds complexity and friction. Most "transformation" efforts fail b/c addition bias multiplied by time poverty across the team ⚡ Lead as an "editor in chief" - simplify and translate. Be relentless in fixing or cutting things that distract or bore or exhaust your team. A colleague I respect noted that his org design was built on: "I want to be able (through tech & process design) to handle 3x the load on the team without adding a single headcount" 2️⃣ Play the subtraction game -- ask your team: - What adds needless friction? - What was once useful but not longer is? - What is driving you crazy? Could be data reports, steps in a process for approval or review or requisition, or side projects. Create a prioritized "ridicuLIST" of these time-draining ridiculous things...and fix/cut some every quarter. ⚡ Put a $ bounty for ideas that save X hours. Track progress toward a target (e.g, save one million minutes). Celebrate people saving time (shortening meetings from 30 to 15 mins, reducing attendees) and log these savings 3️⃣ Crush jargon monoxide — reliance on buzzwords that mean nothing (looking at you, synergy, alignment, throat to choke, transformation, circle back, double click, etc), or in-group lingo/acronyms that may ease talking to people in a silo but make it much harder/slower to talk to people across the boundary ⚡Avoid jargon and flush out the old language and acronyms: Speak plainly, like you would to a 5th grader. ⚡ Need help? Ask ChatGPT. Paste in your draft remarks/email/slide and say “rewrite this for a 10 year old” or “shorten this by half” 4️⃣ Some friction is good -- False urgency harms innovation and progress. A good place to invest time: figure out how your team will work (individual user manuals, norms for communication, clear process for escalation and resolving disputes, set ground rules for feedback, continuous improvement, etc). ⚡Check out Atlassian's Working Agreement templates - like a "pre-nup" for team [link in comment]