Business jargon. Almost nobody loves it, yet somehow sneaky business terminology rears its head within your otherwise wonderfully relatable copy and conversations at work. All. The. Time.
There are common crutch phrases like “move the needle” and “put a pin in it.” (What’s with all the sharp, pointy things, friends?) And then there are somewhat atrocious sayings like “eat our own dog food.” (I’m not even going to go there.)
As the director of editorial here at Salesforce and the co-owner of our company’s Voice and Tone program, I have a lot of thoughts on the jargon omnipresent in the business world. The problems with business jargon are many. First and foremost, it’s exclusive, meaning only understood by a select group of people. People outside your bubble may not have the faintest clue what you are referring to when you say that something is “greenfield.” (I’ve been there!) So if you’re aiming to be inclusive with your language, please stay far away from business jargon like this.
Would you use terms like ‘wheelhouse’ and ‘silo’ at your 4-year-old niece’s birthday party?
Second, it’s not human or conversational. Would you use terms like “wheelhouse” and “silo” at your 4-year-old niece’s birthday party? Probably not. But do you hear words like this in the occasional corporate meeting? My guess is yes. Let’s make the articles you write for your job places where your readers actually want to hang out. The key to this? Use words that represent the way you talk to someone in your family.
We at Salesforce work hard at developing our voice and tone. Read our tips to get started.
People fall into speaking and writing with these types of words because they want to fit in.
There’s one more point I want to make about business terminology. Psychologically speaking, people fall into speaking and writing with these types of words because they want to fit in. Humans are social beings. If the majority of those around us are using business jargon, our primal instincts kick in, and we start using it too. This is the ancient cave dweller part of our brain — the part that doesn’t want to face being left behind or potentially being killed for standing out.
Thank goodness we don’t live in cave times any more! We can consciously choose the words we use to boost inclusivity, humanity, and equality at work.
In the spirit of #NoNewJargon (yes, that’s a reframe of #NoNewTaxes), I’m sharing some commonly used business terms below. And, of course, I’m passing on some helpful words to use instead, courtesy of copywriters, technical writers, and other wordsmiths across Salesforce.
Salesforce’s Chris Duarte on how to start your own voice and tone program.
