A 24-Hour Challenge to Improve Communication

OK, so when did we stop speaking like normal people in the course of doing business? 

The other day I was reading an interview in a well-known business publication with some marketing whizzes. When I finished reading it, I realized I had absolutely no idea what, if anything, of substance, was said. Now, not to toot my own horn, but I’m actually a fairly intelligent person, so it got me wondering if perhaps, they actually said absolutely nothing and missed an opportunity to have a real dialogue and impact. 

Sure, it sounded like they were theorizing about the next big thing in marketing – all about innovation, and brand DNA, and how they were the alchemists and the glue for the consumer to craft their own story - or something like that.  Oh, and how this approach was going to help them be the world’s superpower in their category. They went on, to further point out, that they are very special, because the skill-set they are talking about is “very rare.”  Yet, aside from all the buzzwords they were throwing around, I didn't get any sense of anything they are actually doing to improve upon what already exists.

(If it was up to me, I would hope they are aligning their alchemists’ formula with the corporate strategy and that they are taking all stakeholders into account, lest they unconsciously exhibit bias that could either end up with them boiling the ocean, or even worse, getting thrown into the ditch because they didn’t have enough velocity in their innovation DNA to scale to true capacity.   Nothing could be a worse fate!!)

I am saying all this tongue-in-cheek; we all fall prey and are guilty of falling into, or defaulting to, jargon speak. On the one hand, the jargon can be a sort of short-hand to those in the know. However, on the other hand – and what concerns me more – is that we are not really communicating meaningfully.  When we overload our verbal and written communication with the buzzwords of the day, are we taking the time to ensure that those with whom we’re communicating understand the jargon in the same way? Who among us is going to stop someone and ask them “exactly what the **** do you mean when you talk about “Brand DNA”, or our “innovative alchemy that allows us to dominate.”" Are we checking for understanding? (And, is it possible that at times we may use jargon to exclude others?)

I’d like to throw a challenge out there to anyone whose work depends on being able to clearly communicate to others (yes, that mean you!):

For the next 24 hours strike all jargon out of your business conversations and just have normal conversations with normal, everyday words. 

Pretend you are speaking with someone who doesn’t understand the first thing about your business, about your role, or about your organization.  Pretend you are explaining things to a child even. Observe if the level of understanding and the quality of dialogue is diminished or enhanced. My guess is you’ll find much better discussions with fewer misunderstandings taking place, and more things getting done.  

After you do that for the first 24 hours, try it for another 24 hours, and then another, and then another.  And, if and when you find yourself resorting back to the acronyms, buzzwords, and jargon – stop yourself – and begin again. Would love to hear how it goes!