JARGON IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

Look up the word 'jargon' in the Oxford English Dictionary and this is what you will find:

'jargon- noun - words or expressions used by a particular group that are difficult for others to understand. Origninates from the French term for twittering or chattering.'

Bearing this in mind, why oh why, do so many people insist on dismantling the English language with business babble and jargon?

Many people presume that those in the advertising industry are the main culprits. However, shamefuly, PR consultants are guilty too. I have endured meetings that have been almost entirely made up of strange metaphors, buzz words and acronyms. Sometimes you feel like you need some kind of jargon interpreter or dictionary, just to make sense of what is going on.

Here is a list of my least favourite words and phrases:

- 'Thinking outside of the box'- You mean we need to be creative? So, why can't you just say that?

- 'Can we touch base?'- This one makes me cringe. What does it even mean? Is it an invitation to play a few games of baseball (if it is, my apologies, I would love to. Give me a time and a place and I'll be there)?

-'We need to get all our ducks in a row' - I'm sorry, I know this is widely used in Kiwi businesses but I hate it. What does it mean? What ducks? What do ducks have to do with meeting PR or advertising objectives? Surely we can get our point across without bringing our webbed footed, feathery friends into it?

- 'We need to walk the walk'- Ummmm...

- 'We need to step up to the plate'- Can anyone tell me where this plate is and why it is so important?

- Acronyms- 'FYI, I will need those SME stats for the 10.30am WIP, ASAP.'

All of these words, metaphors and phrases are completely pointless and only result in confusion, amongst both clients and our colleagues. As PR consultants, it is our job to ease the lines of communication, not clog them with acronyms and made-up words. I think that every time a PR or advertising person utters one of these awful phrases, they should be fined $2.50, which would be donated to a deserving cause. We would be doing two great things- raising money for charity and stamping out jargon!!

What is your least favourite buzzword or phrase?