Posts Tagged: jargon

The Cure for Corporate Speak

The Cure for Corporate Speak bluefeet blog post by Lilli Cloud

Corporate speak is so last century.

From formal conference presentations to corporate staff meetings, jargon and formality are dying a slow death. It’s about time. After all, we’re only human. It would be great if we’d just talk to one another.

Harvard Business Review researched this with corporate leaders. Separately, Alan Alda, in his program Stony Brook University, is teaching scientists how to speak in plain English.

Some call this dumbing down. We say it’s smartening up.

So stick with your smart-sounding talk if you want, but the big money is on those who can actually make a connection.

The Cure for Corporate Speak bluefeet blog post by Lilli CloudThe Cure for Corporate Speak bluefeet blog post by Lilli CloudThe Cure for Corporate Speak bluefeet blog post by Lilli Cloud

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Treat Me Like I’m 11

 

Tell it to me like I’m a really smart kid. This is the advice used in bluefeet workshops and coaching sessions, especially when the subject matter is technical or the industry filled with jargon.

And it works – almost like magic.

I first discovered this when working with a stem cell scientist who was mired in academic speak, a fate even worse than corporate speak. He had a son who was 11, old enough to understand science, but still a kid.

“Explain this to me like you’d explain it to your son,” I told him.

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