Time to Think About What We Say, Because Words Matter!
Words have power and they matter. The words we use can either include or exclude. I am diligently working to make sure that the language I use is inclusive. So, I’ve been reflecting on buzzwords and corporate jargon lately as a result. Why don’t we just say what we mean? Seems to me that buzzwords often exclude and offend others more than they bring people together. Why do we keep developing new buzzwords and corporate lingo?
When I was just starting my career, I often felt extremely left out when I heard corporate jargon that I wasn’t informed about. Especially in the days before Google, I had to ask around the office to find out the meaning of these special words and phrases. I never understood why these new “made up” words had to exist. I have come to understand that to many, having these unique words or phrases is like an inside joke that allows you to bond with and feel close your team or colleagues. It gives its members a feeling of belonging. Some others feel that it is a convenient and comfortable way for everyone to feel safe and understand each other.
INCLUSIVE OR EXCLUSIVE?
On the contrary, this is what makes this kind of insider language so exclusive. Buzzwords actually make it much harder for us to communicate effectively. I recently observed how challenging it is for our fellow colleagues who speak English as a second language to understand what was being communicated. It feels like a secret language that has been developed to make people feel that they are NOT part of an exclusive club- or worse stupid or purposefully demeaning! I urge you all to think about how these made-up words exclude others or make them feel uncomfortable. Many might even be offensive! It is time to think about what we say—because words matter!
For example, some common business sayings can have controversial origins like, drink the Kool-Aid. You can google that one. Many have racist origins like tipping point, blacklist, ninja, and open the kimono, which also is sexist. That list, the sexists one, is very long and includes some really horrible ones like man up, pump and dump, spread and naked. True story: picture my naïve 20-something self, nervous and embarrassed to whisper to my new co-worker to politely ask what a “Naked Account” was or did I hear that incorrectly… oh no! That was widely used term to describe a customer without a sales rep assigned to them. WTF. It’s a widely used term? I still hear this one used all the time. It makes my blood boil. How can we get it to go away?
THE SHORTLIST
Here is a shortlist of the buzzwords and corporate jargon that hear regularly. I challenge you to try NOT to use any of these this week, can you do it?
Bandwidth
Bang for the buck
Buy in
Circle back
Deep dive
Double-click
Drumbeat
Ducks in a row
In the trenches
Lets table this
Loop in or In the loop
Low-hanging fruit
Optics
Pain points
Parking lot (as in, “lets parking lot that idea)
Peel the onion
Pivot
Punch a puppy
Pushback
New normal
Ninja
Radar (as in “that project is not on my radar”)
Reach out
Socialize (a document/content)
Synergy
Swim lanes
Take it offline
Think outside the box
Unpack
Value-add
Wheelhouse
Win-win
Can you avoid using these words?
CAN YOU DO IT?
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