Jargon busting

Do read this 'have your say' piece from BBC on line about workplace jargon. It's hilarious, in a kind of sobering, cringeworthy, 'oh dear I recognise that one' type of way.

Last week I was reading a blog post, which I now can't find, by Carol Kinsey-Goman, who was ranting about the overuse of the word 'drive' in corporate communications. ('driving for results' etc. etc.).  Your votes please for the most over-used/cringeworthy/drives-you-mad corporate word. Let's draw up a top ten and mount a campaign to get them banned!

Oh, and all proven tips for getting managers/internal comms teams (!) to give up this nasty jargon habit are also welcome...

Sue

PS I forgot to say what my pet favourite is!  There are so many, but I particularly don't like 'leverage', 'grow' (as in 'how do we grow revenues' ) and socialise (as in 'let's just socialise this around the management team'.

Comments

[Timm]

This is an all-time favorite discussion for everyone since Scott Adams's 'Buzzword Bingo' was invented - with good reason, methinks, as the semantic padding gets thicker every year. I agree - 'leverage' is a terrible, terrible word out of the physics context; my personal favorite is 'foster', and 'continually' (you don't just improve things anymore, you 'continually improve' them). And to quote a friend of mine: "Trust me - if I ever say 'I'll reach out to you', you better take cover, because my hands will be around your throat!"

[Fiona Gibson]

My personal fave is 'bottom-up planning'. Makes me laugh still. We did try putting together buzz-word bingo in a previous job - perhaps our favourites can be developed into a highly lucrative yet socially aware business game?!

[Sue D]

Ooh, I love the suggestion about the game! There's got to be one there, hasn't there. Actually I've just also remembered a very funny little 'bullsxxt detector' ('scuse the language) I was sent ages ago, which still makes me giggle now. I can't seem to post links in this comment box so I'll put it into a new posting. Hours of fun ...

[Liam]

I once organised an all-hands call for a senior manager and then cringed as she spent the thirty minutes talking about "going forward" ARRRRRRRRRRGH!!!! She must have said it at least 30 times - we stopped counting!

Have people read "Why do business people talk like idiots"?????

Liam

[Geoff T]

Howdy all,

Back in the real world in NZ and just came across this blog. Big hi to Liam and Sue, classmates of June 2006 and fellow alumni.

Bull Sh*t bingo! My favourite (still gutted that I was singled out as a bull sh*t speaker on my Black Belt course!...).

My all time favourite is 'we're on a journey' - sends me straight to the exits...

[Sue D]

Hi Geoff

Great to hear from you! Actually in the latest Black Belt (we're just in between modules 1 & 2) we've sneaked in a quick exercise to come up with our all time most 'oh dear, I know I shouldn't really use this word in our comms but I do ...' words. Then we put them all together and issue everyone with their very own Black Belt Bull Shxt Bingo card.

Great fun, and a frighteningly large bingo card. Maybe I'll see if the group will let me post it on here.

Keep in touch! But don't say too many things about NZ or I may find myself without a business partner ...

Sue

[Bob]

The book "Why do business people talk like idiots" is a great book. One assertion is made that 25% of GDP is related to persuasion. Most people can spot bull from a mile away, so why add it to your business language? Just to try to impress people and look smart. I really think they had my manager in mind when they wrote the book. Watch "The Office" to get a great laugh on the subject.