Why Jargon Might Be Harming Your Message- And How To Remove It
In September 2018, I began a Professional Practice Certificate course in Training and Development. It was the first course I’d done that was unrelated to my role as a teacher.
On the first day, we introduced ourselves to the group and two things quickly became apparent. Firstly, everyone else was from a business/industry background. Secondly, they were speaking a different language to me.
Not literally! But I quickly realised they had a shared language of acronyms, phrases and terminology which was unfamiliar to me. The thing is, if they had attended one of our school staff meetings, they probably would have made the same observation about education-related jargon!
Is jargon always a bad thing?
Jargon isn’t necessarily bad. To some extent, every industry has its own language. Insider acronyms and terminology make communication easier with peers. Why use 25 words to explain something when three will do? When you’re presenting to a group of industry specialists, it’s important to speak their language to build your credibility and demonstrate your familiarity with their world.
The difficulty arises when you are speaking to a general audience about a specialist topic. If you use jargon in this context, you could be creating a barrier to communication. You might be trying to demonstrate your expertise or be unaware of the audience’s lack of understanding of the language or topic. But if people are struggling to know what “the ABC of the XYZ” means, they will quickly lose interest and stop listening.
Related reading: 7 Ways to Make Your Audience Central to Your Presentation
Have you ever had a conversation with a financial consultant and felt that your head was going to explode with all the terminology used?
How about that visit to the consultant, where you left the meeting with a list of phrases to research?
If you have ever felt the frustration of wanting something to be explained “in Plain English,” then you understand how jargon can be an obstacle to effective communication.
How to avoid jargon in your presentation
To avoid your audience feeling that same frustration, you need to eliminate jargon from your presentation or speech. This is especially important for virtual presentations. In person, you can read the room. Facial expressions and body language can indicate if someone doesn’t understand what you are saying. But, when you are speaking online, it is more difficult to assess the audience’s reaction. And your listeners may hesitate to ask you to explain an unfamiliar term for fear of looking silly.
Know your audience
This is a golden rule of preparing speeches and presentations. Think about who will be listening to you. Know their language. What is their level of knowledge on the topic? If you don’t know, assume they’re unfamiliar with industry-specific phrases and acronyms and leave them out.
Could my 80-year-old mother understand it?
Recently, I was speaking to a presenter at a networking event I attended. Her topic was technical and could have included lots of jargon. However, the speaker kept it very simple and easy to understand. When I commented on this afterwards, she said she always asks herself if her 80-year-old mother could understand it. If not, she simplifies it.
You might find a tool like De-jargonizer helpful for this. Copy and paste in your speech or presentation, check for words highlighted red, and see if you can find a simpler alternative.
If you can’t avoid jargon, explain it
Sometimes, you can’t avoid using specific terminology or technical language. Or it may make sense to use an acronym rather than repeating a lengthy phrase throughout your talk. If that’s the case, explain it the first time you use it, so the audience is familiar with it next time.
Does the term have multiple meanings?
A networking colleague was telling me recently about one of the jargon challenges she faces in her business. She deals with a range of industries in the fintech sector and is familiar with the acronyms used within it. However, sometimes the same acronym has different meanings in different industries, which can cause confusion. Definitely something to double-check before you include a shortened version in your talk.
Albert Einstein said, “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” Keep that in mind the next time you are tempted to bamboozle your audience with buzzwords.
If you find it challenging to simplify and clarify your message when speaking up at work or in your speeches or presentations, I can help. Why not schedule a quick intro call with me by clicking here.
