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Speaking Our Own Language
Why do we park on driveways and drive on parkways? Credit goes to the comedian Steven Wright for that one. Seems silly, doesn’t it? It makes absolutely no sense. And it must have been that way since the beginning of time (or at least, since the creation of roads).
But no one took the time to change it when it was possible to be changed. Now that the terms are ingrained in our everyday language, they are here to stay. And they will forever accompany many other entries on the list of nomenclature that causes unnecessary confusion.
What’s on that list for your organization? It probably consists of:
- Obscure acronyms
- Poorly applied industry terminology
- Buzzwords that once were all the rage
As the list becomes longer:
- New employees will feel like outsiders. Is there anything that makes you feel like you don’t belong any more than a language barrier?
- Operational confusion will increase. Over time the context for selecting the name in the first place will fade.
- You’ll need to hire a company historian to keep it all straight. Seriously, it’s not uncommon for companies to have a glossary of terms…..and someone needs to maintain that!
What should you do? It’s very difficult to eliminate the list. Maybe you can shorten it. You can certainly stop adding to the list. Make a new rule – no more TLAs. Oh, for you outsiders – that stands for three letter acronyms.
Get more tips on simplifying communication in our previous post Trade Buzzwords.