Why Jargon Is So Dangerous - EP 043

I had a friend reach out recently asking if I could please help him help a client understand how jargon, those code words we all have in our industry or our company, how jargon was getting in the way of the strength and power of their message. Well, that's one of my favorite topics, so that's what we're going to talk about this week on Find the Red Thread. I'm Tamsen Webster of TamsenWebster.com. I can't think of anyone who doesn't want their message to be more clear. And that makes sense because the clearer the message, the clearer the meaning. And the clearer the meaning, the more likely the action we're looking for will follow. But there's a challenge here, and it's one we can all recognize, in that that meaning relies on words to get it across. I'm sure there's times we get to use additional things like sounds and images and even smells, but ultimately words are the currency of ideas. We have to translate our ideas into words before we can articulate them to somebody else, and it takes words for someone to understand what it is that we're trying to say. So it makes sense then, if the words have different meaning for people, then we're gonna have a problem because we're not gonna get the result that we're looking for. So ultimately, that's the reason why jargon in and of itself is a challenge, because it either has no meaning, which means there's nothing for it to anchor to within the person who's listening, or it already has another meaning, and that's where we can get into trouble. That's where the gap between one side and the other can become a trap. Here's what I mean. If you take 3 phrases that are on the surface very simple, but they have a deeper meaning depending on your background, you'll see what I mean. So for instance, if I say Black Lives Matter or Netflix and chill or bless your heart, depending on what you associate with those simple words all the way across, you're going to have very different reactions. And that's because what's lying in the gap, the gap between one side or the other, the gap between my meaning and yours is filled with the patterns of meaning that are already there. And that leads us to hear things that aren't there, to hear the additional meaning that surrounds those words. So Netflix and chill means one thing to one group of people, but if you misunderstand it, I mean, you don't want grandma to misunderstand Netflix and chill. I mean, Bless her heart, that would be awkward. But think about it when it comes to really weighty phrases like Black Lives Matter. Depending on the meaning that you already have, you hear additional words there. You hear either Black Lives Matter too or Black Lives Matter more. That's what the meaning that's already there does. So how do we resolve this? Well, the resolution lies in the gap itself. It relies on remembering that we make meaning, every one of us, in the same way. We may come to a different conclusion, but we get to it the same way. Which means we can use the Red Thread and those questions not only to engineer meaning, but we can also use it to reverse engineer meaning out of somebody's position or somebody's phrasing. That means we need to look for what are the shared problems that we see? What are the shared ideas so that we can find shared change? That might mean that the language needs to change, but ultimately what we're trying to do is connect on the meaning underneath it. And frankly, that's the simple explanation for jargon as well. What does the word actually mean that you're using? Use that word first, help them understand that that's what you mean, and then attach the unique term to it. That's how people are gonna make sure— that's how you're gonna make sure that people understand not only what you're saying, but what you're meaning as well. So, take a look for those phrases and those words that you hear and find the meaning beneath them. And every time you're working on that clarity, that will help your messages make more sense. Thanks for joining me this week on Find the Red Thread. I'm Tamsen Webster of TamsenWebster.com.