I was thinking this week about the dangers of assumed knowledge and using words or phrases that seem important and indeed have a serious meaning but get used wrongly and out of context. I am sure this is true of all professions, but in the legal world words or phrases that often fall into this category are “without prejudice”, “subject to contract” and “privileged”. They are used by lawyers for precise purposes but get “adopted” by our clients and used for all manner of purposes on the basis I suppose that they must be important words.
It's the same in a way as the catchphrases that annoyingly make their way into so many business conversations in an apparent attempt to convey some enlightening concept. Phrases like crystal ball gazing, brainstorm, and make sure we are all singing from the same hymn-sheet have made their way into the mainstream of business conversations -and if I’m honest we all tend to use them.
This articlelists the 50 most annoying office jargon phrases such as “win-win”, “circle back” and “run an idea up the flagpole” while this Daily Telegraph articlesuggests the 10 most scream-inducing business jargon phrases include “blue sky thinking”, “it’s on my radar” and “thinking outside the box”. A Sky News surveyof 2000 UK employees has revealed which pieces of ambiguous corporate jargon are the most annoying such as “touch base”, “game changer” and one I confess I had never heard of “thought shower” (A meeting to freely discuss new ideas in their early stages).
Another really unpleasant one I had also never come across is “punch a puppy” which apparently means To do something horrible for the long-term good of the company.
It’s really quite disturbing to realise that we all tend to fall into this bad habit of using business jargon I suppose under the impression it makes us seem more effective or creative. George Bernard Shaw said “English is the easiest language speak badly”and he had a point.
Language in business should be used positively and exactly and to good effect. As President John F Kennedy said of Winston Churchill “In the dark days and darker nights when England stood alone – and most men save Englishmen despaired of England’s life – he mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”
We should I propose choose are words with care, maybe as Mahatma Ghandi suggested “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.” and above all avoid business jargon using words to set out exactly what we mean and not relying on some half understood or inappropriate “power phrase”.
It's the same in a way as the catchphrases that annoyingly make their way into so many business conversations in an apparent attempt to convey some enlightening concept. Phrases like crystal ball gazing, brainstorm, and make sure we are all singing from the same hymn-sheet have made their way into the mainstream of business conversations -and if I’m honest we all tend to use them.
This articlelists the 50 most annoying office jargon phrases such as “win-win”, “circle back” and “run an idea up the flagpole” while this Daily Telegraph articlesuggests the 10 most scream-inducing business jargon phrases include “blue sky thinking”, “it’s on my radar” and “thinking outside the box”. A Sky News surveyof 2000 UK employees has revealed which pieces of ambiguous corporate jargon are the most annoying such as “touch base”, “game changer” and one I confess I had never heard of “thought shower” (A meeting to freely discuss new ideas in their early stages).
Another really unpleasant one I had also never come across is “punch a puppy” which apparently means To do something horrible for the long-term good of the company.
It’s really quite disturbing to realise that we all tend to fall into this bad habit of using business jargon I suppose under the impression it makes us seem more effective or creative. George Bernard Shaw said “English is the easiest language speak badly”and he had a point.
Language in business should be used positively and exactly and to good effect. As President John F Kennedy said of Winston Churchill “In the dark days and darker nights when England stood alone – and most men save Englishmen despaired of England’s life – he mobilized the English language and sent it into battle.”
We should I propose choose are words with care, maybe as Mahatma Ghandi suggested “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.” and above all avoid business jargon using words to set out exactly what we mean and not relying on some half understood or inappropriate “power phrase”.
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