Impact of Jargon on Communication

While project management jargon is appropriate in certain settings, I recommend using it with caution. For those outside of project management, it may create: 🔹 Loss of Clarity: Our stakeholders come from diverse backgrounds, and not all of them are well-versed in t project management terminology. Using jargon can lead to confusion, misunderstanding, and even frustration. 🔹 Alienation: When we speak in project management jargon, we can unintentionally create an "us" and "them" environment. 🔹 Misalignment: Project management jargon can sometimes be ambiguous, and different people might interpret the same term differently. 🔹 Loss of Credibility: While we might understand every bit of jargon we use, its excessive use might lead stakeholders to doubt our intentions or expertise. Instead of impressing them, we risk coming across as disconnected from their needs and concerns. Instead: ✅ Choose Wisely: When communicating with stakeholders, opt for language that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. ✅ Educate Gradually: If there are certain terms crucial to the conversation, take the time to educate stakeholders about their meanings. ✅ Listen Actively: Pay attention to how stakeholders respond to your communication. If you notice confusion or hesitation, take a step back and rephrase your message in simpler terms. ✅ Empathize: Put yourself in the shoes of your stakeholders. Use language that promotes transparency and inclusion. #projectmanagement #inclusion #collaboration

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.” 😂😂😂

I am working in a warehouse where English is a second language for many teammates. English is my only language. Turns out the communication gap was mine to close. A few (humbling) highlights: I once said, “Let’s hit the ground running.” One guy looked at me, pointed to the floor, and asked, “Where are we running?” I told the team to “break down that pallet” and came back to find the actual pallet boards stacked on the floor. What I’ve learned (and what actually works): Ditch the jargon. Use concrete, simple phrasing: “Cancel line 3,” “Wrap 8 pallets,” “Stage at Door 6.” Avoid idioms, acronyms, and double meanings. One action per sentence. Show, don’t just say. Write it, draw it, label it. Use whiteboards, sample labels, aisle maps, photos, and bilingual signs. Pictures beat paragraphs. Close the loop. Ask someone to repeat the plan or demo step one. Encourage questions and blame the instructions, not the person: “If this isn’t clear, that’s on me.” Moral: Clarity isn’t about “talking slower”—it’s about leading better. In a multilingual operation, respect looks like instructions that anyone can follow the first time. When we simplify, visualize, and verify, quality goes up, safety improves, and the team wins. #leadership #operations #warehousing #communication #clarity #continuousimprovement

The Jargon Graveyard: Why "Game-Changing" and "Outside the Box" Need to Rest in Peace 🪦 Ever catch yourself using these phrases and feel a twinge of regret? You're not alone. Let's talk about why it's time to retire these linguistic relics and what we can say instead. 📊 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: - 60% of employees mentally check out when leaders overuse clichés (University of Manchester) - 85% of customers distrust jargon-heavy companies (PRCA) - Clear communication boosts employee engagement by 13% (Gallup) 🕰️ 𝗔 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻: "𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘅" Origin: The Nine Dots Puzzle, a 1914 brainteaser. Solver's secret: Draw lines beyond the implied square. Original meaning: Break assumed limits. Be creative. Today: A tired prompt that ironically stifles innovation. "𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿" Origin: Sports commentary, circa 1980s. Initial use: Described pivotal moments altering a game's outcome. Business adoption: Signified disruptive innovations. Now: Applied to minor tweaks, diluting its power. 🚫 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗨𝘀: Overexposure: They've lost their punch through overuse. Vagueness: They don't convey specific actions or outcomes. Credibility drain: They can make you sound less authentic and knowledgeable. 🆕 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝘆: Instead of "Think outside the box": ↳ "Challenge our assumptions" ↳ "Explore new ideas" ↳ "Reimagine the problem" Replacing "Game-changer": ↳ "Disruptor" ↳ "Paradigm shift" ↳ "Difference maker" 🎯 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: ↳ Clearer expectations ↳ Increased trust ↳ Higher engagement ↳ More effective problem-solving 🧠 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁: What overused phrases do you encounter in your industry? How has unclear communication affected your work? What steps can you take to make your language more precise and impactful? Let's build a more effective communication culture together. Share your thoughts and experiences below!

Do you know how they always say, “You’re not your user?” Do you ever wonder why they say that? It's because of a cognitive bias called the curse of knowledge. This bias makes it difficult for experts to remember what it's like to be a beginner. We forget how much we've learned and assume others know what we know. --- For a long time, I worked in an incredibly complex industry. When I first started out, I was barely able to keep up with everyone else. I usually had no idea what they were talking about or what was going on. I was constantly confused. Some people were nice about it, but others were less forgiving. After a while, it became second nature. I found myself using acronyms and obscure aerospace industry terms like it was second nature. When someone new joined the team, I found myself doing the same thing everyone else did when I started. As empathetic as I thought I was, I found myself getting frustrated by new people more often than I liked to admit. This curse of knowledge affects us all:  • Team leads assume everyone else understands complex strategies  • Seniors forget how challenging new concepts can be  • Stakeholders push for features that make sense only to them  • Industry veterans use acronyms and jargon colleagues don't understand We need to remember that people don’t always understand the same things we understand. Remember, you’re not your audience! — 🧠 Curse of Knowledge 🧠 We tend to underestimate how our accumulated knowledge influences our perception and communication. This makes it challenging for us to share information effectively with others with different backgrounds or expertise. --- 🎯 Here are some key takeaways: 1️⃣ Recognize your own expertise: Be aware that your knowledge and experience shape your perspective. Understand that what seems obvious or straightforward to you may not be apparent to others who don't share your background. 2️⃣ Empathize with your audience: Put yourself in the shoes of your team members, stakeholders, or users who may not have the same level of knowledge. Try to remember what it was like before you gained your current expertise. 3️⃣ Use clear, jargon-free language: Avoid technical or industry-specific terms when communicating with team members or stakeholders from different backgrounds. Opt for plain language and provide context when introducing new concepts. 4️⃣ Use analogies and metaphors: Draw parallels to more common experiences or ideas when explaining complex concepts. This technique can help bridge the gap between expert knowledge and novice understanding, making information more accessible to a wider audience. 5️⃣ Encourage questions and feedback: Create an environment where team members feel comfortable asking for clarification. Regularly check for understanding and invite feedback on your explanations or ideas. ♻️ If you found this helpful, share it 🙏!

Jargon Detox: Key Takeaways for Medical Communicators Jargon: the silent killer of clear medical communication. We've all been there, right? Lost in our own medical jargon, sometimes without even realizing it. However, clear communication is crucial, especially in healthcare. So, let's talk Jargon Detox! As medical writers, editors, and reviewers, we know that it is key to catching errors before our clients or audience does. Here are a few common jargon traps and how to avoid them: 📋 Jargon Overload: Keep it simple! If a word isn't essential, cut it. 📝 Audience Blindness: One size doesn't fit all. Physicians? Focus on the data. Patients? Speak plainly. 🗒️ Readability Roadblocks: The "read-aloud test" is your friend. Stumble over a sentence? Rewrite it. Jargon Detox Examples: ❌ “Polypharmacy is prevalent among geriatric populations.” ✅ “Older adults often take multiple medications.” ❌ “The intervention demonstrated a statistically significant improvement.” ✅ “The treatment worked better than the placebo.” ❌ "Gastrointestinal distress may be an adverse effect of this medication." ✅ "This medicine might upset your stomach." ❌ "The patient exhibited symptoms of pyrexia and diaphoresis." ✅ "The patient had a fever and was sweating a lot." Jargon Detox Strategies: ✔️ Simplify: Shorter words, shorter sentences. Think plain language. ✔️  Define (Sparingly): If you must use a technical term, define it clearly and concisely. ✔️  Structure for Success: Short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings make complex information digestible. ✔️  Readability Tools: Using the Hemmingway app or similar tools can help identify jargon and suggest simpler alternatives. ✔️  Know Your Audience: Are you writing for physicians or patients? It makes a difference. The Golden Rule💡: If your audience needs to Google a word, you've already lost them. What are your favorite "jargon-to-plain-language" transformations? Please share them in the comments! #PlainLanguage #MedComms #MedicalWritingTips #KJCmediahealth #MedicalWriter #ScienceWriting

This week, I asked my AI PM students why so many promising AI/ML initiatives fail to secure executive sponsorship. Their answers were spot on: • "Unclear or unquantified business value" • "Too much focus on tech capabilities instead of business outcomes" • "Poor risk assessment for implementation challenges" But they missed one critical barrier I've encountered repeatedly across my work at T-Mobile, Nike, and now with enterprise clients at Greenscale AI: Technical jargon that creates communication barriers. I learned this lesson the hard way during my transition from healthcare to tech. In microbiology, precise terminology meant nothing to patients. Three approaches that have consistently worked for me: 1. Start with the "So what?" Frame AI capabilities in terms of business metrics executives already track. 2. Use analogies from the executive's domain. For example, when explaining ML models to your CFO, compare them to financial forecasting tools they already trust. 3. Create a jargon glossary— Maintain a simple reference that translates technical concepts into business outcomes. My healthcare background taught me that technical knowledge without effective communication rarely leads to meaningful action. #AIProductManagement #ExecutiveCommunication

In a video about my decade of research, a male commenter said "Okay but how did you do this? Because it just seems like conjecture." I replied with my psychometric validation plan for test design. He didn't reply. Why didn't I start with the psychometrics? Because that's my expert jargon, and my mission is making work accessible, not "sounding smart." What's ironic, is many are easily swayed to think expertise is any kind of jargon. It's not. Type 1: Expert jargon - highly specific language for niche expertise. Think engineering terms, medical terminology, or psychometric language that even other psychologists might not understand. Type 2: Word salad - broad, meaningless buzzwords designed to sound impressive but say nothing. Lots of people use word salad thinking it makes them sound smart. And it has mixed results. Some people - especially if that person has power - buy into it completely. But neurodivergent people and many from working-class backgrounds? We're like "Yeah, you don't know what you're talking about." It undermines their trust in their leadership. Here's the deeper issue my story reveals: WHO gets considered "smart" when using jargon depends on bias, not expertise. On social media, I've noticed mostly women creators get challenged on our expertise. And it's not just me, I've noticed this across profiles. When I speak clearly about research, I get challenged as "conjecture." But people assumed to have power use meaningless buzzwords get nodded at respectfully. The same word salad that makes a woman seem like she's "compensating" makes a man seem "strategic." Expert Jargon isn't necessarily great. You can forget your audience. If you're brilliant but can't communicate clearly, your ideas won't get implemented. The danger comes when organizations use complex jargon to hide bad behavior. I give examples in my free book chapter of companies that used expert-sounding language to confuse and exploit customers worldwide. One company had genuinely smart people whose ideas never got heard because they couldn't translate their expertise. Another deliberately used confusing language as a weapon against their customers. Same jargon, completely different intentions. The unwritten rule? In many workplaces, sounding smart matters more than being clear. But clarity builds trust, while word salad builds walls. If you can't explain your idea simply, you either don't understand it well enough, or you're trying to hide something. Which type of jargon dominates your workplace? Expert communication or performative confusion? Check out my free book chapter on my website to see how companies weaponize language - and how to cut through the noise. #communication #jargon #unwrittenrules #workplacecommunication #leadership #accessibility

99% of leaders don’t realize the damage corporate jargon causes. Here are the 5 harsh truths leaders need to hear. _____ Corporate jargon is the silent killer of communication. Honestly, I was guilty of using some of these phrases. “Circle back,” “parking lot,” and “drinking the Kool-Aid” were just a few of my favorites. Then, I read the research, and everything changed. Here are the 5 harsh truths every leader needs to hear. Corporate jargon can: 1. Be seen as a coping mechanism for those lacking true expertise (Harvard) 2. Lead to misunderstandings and reduced comprehension (Standford) 3. Alienate and exclude people (UPenn) 4. Waste time and reduce productivity (Yale) 5. Damage credibility and trust (MIT) The evidence is overwhelming. So, what is the solution? Embrace PLAIN language. Here’s how to replace jargon with clear, impactful communication:   𝗣 - Practice with a partner. Find someone who will call out your jargon.  𝗟 - Less is more. Use common, everyday words vs. complex vocabulary (start vs. initiate). 𝗔 - Avoid acronyms and technical terms.  𝗜 - Implement alternatives. Offer more apparent options when you hear jargon.  𝗡 - No jargon allowed. Ditching jargon and using PLAIN language will enhance understanding, foster inclusivity, and build stronger relationships. ___ What corporate jargon are you giving up today? Start practicing and tag your accountability partner below. ♻️Find this helpful? Share with your network and help them elevate their communication. 🔔Follow me, Amy Misnik, for more daily business and leadership insights like this. 

Communicating Clearly: Cutting Through the Jargon Monoxide. Leaders constantly convey ideas, strategies, and goals to our teams and stakeholders. However, in today's corporate world, we have often fallen victim to using jargon and acronyms as a shortcut for communication. This "jargon monoxide" has become so prevalent that it hinders our ability to communicate effectively and connect with those around us. Think of jargon as the carbon monoxide of communication—invisible but deadly. Just like carbon monoxide can cause harm without being seen, jargon can create barriers and misunderstandings in our communication without us even realizing it. It may seem like fancy terms and buzzwords make us sound intelligent, but they only create confusion and alienate those unfamiliar with the jargon. As leaders, we must strive to speak directly, plainly, and jargon-free. This means using simple language that is easily understood by everyone and avoiding acronyms and industry-specific terminology that may not be familiar to all. By doing so, we can effectively convey our message and ensure everyone is on the same page. But why do we use jargon in the first place? Some may argue that it makes us sound more professional or knowledgeable. However, the real reason behind this usage is often to save time and effort. We use jargon as a shortcut, assuming that everyone understands it. But the truth is, not everyone does, leading to miscommunication and inefficiency. Moreover, jargon can also create a sense of elitism within an organization. Employees unfamiliar with the jargon may feel excluded or inferior, leading to a toxic work culture. As leaders, we are responsible for fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment, and using jargon goes against that. So, how can we break the habit of using jargon monoxide? First, we must be aware of our language and its impact on others. We should actively use simple and clear language in all our communications. Second, we should encourage our team members to speak up if they do not understand any jargon or acronyms being used. This promotes open communication and breaks down any barriers created by jargon. As the saying goes, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Let's lead by example and cut through the jargon monoxide for a more connected and productive workplace. #ATestForOurTime #CrisisLeadership #NextNormal #ClearCommunication #NoJargonMonoxide Read more about my Monday Motivational Messages in my book: https://lnkd.in/erME_cyK