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Everyone wants to be the best at what they do. If you are a manager or are usually tasked with public dealing, try to “act smart” rather than “sound smart.” How? This article gives an overview of “how” words speak for you.
Your Words Speak For You
It is true; words speak for you. You might get confused by this statement. But if you examine your corporate dealings from a different angle, you will observe an underlying and often neglected pattern. For example, when someone had to cover their losses in a meeting, they used a dodgy word to evade attention. But what happened afterwards? Others tried to understand the word. Some even tried to throw similar meaningless words to appear more competent. But what progress was made? Was the meeting fruitful? Predictably, not at all.
Meetings in which all the members boast about their vocabulary rather than focus on the actual target, these meetings never really do reach fulfilment. Such meetings always prove to waste precious work hours and exhaust everyone involved. But the sad reality is that you can observe these words in your everyday corporate conversations.
Some of them might have left you feeling misunderstood or puzzled. But the reality is that these words, or “Jargons,” are a serious waste of your time.
What are jargons?
Nowadays, people use emails and chat by using corporate tools for communicating ideas and opinions. Jargons are words and phrases that originate from such mediums. They are prevalent with people who manage a team or are tasked with public dealings. However, the person using them might find them to be a delight or a great way to “sound sophisticated.” But they do not express the meaning to the listener; they rather confuse or challenge the listener. Are you using these “buzzwords”? Don’t know if you are?
Common Types Of Buzzwords
Anyone who has been in a corporate company for a long time knows what buzzwords sound like; not just that, but they might even have used them. According to a survey, more than 85% of the surveyed corporate individuals were fond of using jargon. But the intriguing part is that more than 30% had no idea what they were saying.
What does this survey highlight? It highlights that this “business language” is a sign of insecurity. But do you consciously or unconsciously use such words? How can you identify them? Here are three common types of buzzwords:
1- The Bleeding Edge
That sounds like the name of a famous fictional novel. But the reality is that people use this word in their everyday conversations, especially when asking for innovation. This is what the word means, to innovate. It might sound like a great word to use and raise some eyebrows, but no one will understand it until and unless you share the meaning.
2- Boil The Ocean
This is, ironically, a word that you can use to describe this word itself. “Boil the ocean” or “Boiling the ocean,” a word you might have heard from your manager or someone else. Its literal meaning is to comment on a tedious task. These are tasks which provide zero results and demand you to work hard.
3- The Low-Hanging Fruits
You agree to assist your teammate or colleague, and they say, “Let’s hang back and eat some fruits.” At least, that is the impression you got from the word “low-hanging fruit.” The literal meaning of this phrase is first to complete the easy task, which would further help to understand the big picture. But how can you understand the big picture if you don’t understand the word itself?
How Jargons Impact A Team?
Jargons are not usually helpful to those who are expected to understand them. Using a jargon can impact a team in many ways. However, the reality is that jargons usually leave a negative impact. According to various surveys and studies, jargon can be discarded, as they do not contribute in any way.
Are you wondering how “flashy buzzwords” can impact your team? Here are some examples:
1- Dropping Performance
The one thing that you can always count on buzzwords to do is that they will impact your team’s performance. Many surveys say such words impact an organization in the worst ways possible. This is why many companies are changing their work culture and avoiding corporate jargon.
2- The Decrease In Engagement
If an employee fails to perform, you might assume reasons other than the obvious ones. One of these is the fact that jargons negatively impact an employee’s overall performance. Not only a single employee, but the reality is that it can adversely affect a whole company, depending on the prevalence of such words.
3- Communication
A company grows the most when every employee expresses their ideas and opinions directly and transparently. But what if they are unwilling? In that case, you should try to numb the use of corporate jargon.
Conclusion – What Should You Do?
Everyone wants to appear smart. But the part where one has to act smart matters the most. If you are fond of using jargons or buzzwords, you should try your best to eradicate this habit. Either as an HR executive or even as an ordinary employee, you can take the initiative. This is because of the fact that ushering a change always requires one brave individual to take a bold initiative to change the ways how our society works.
Are you willing to take this step and change it all?
