Reduce Your Buzzword Footprint*

DILBERT © 1994 Scott Adams. Used By permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK. All rights reserved.

Guest blog by Shawn Johnson

*CAUTION: Buzzwords are not only used in the title but throughout this blog.

An executive, a manager and a staff member walk into a meeting…  No, it’s not one of those jokes, but easily could become one. I was sitting in a meeting the other day, not unlike a thousand meetings that I have attended in the past. I’m sure you know the kind of meeting I’m talking about: a meeting with your staff, your peers, your leadership team, a partner or a vendor. But honestly, the attendance at the meeting isn’t what got me thinking.

What I am referring to you may ask?  I’m referring to the ridiculous number of buzzwords casually thrown around during just about every business meeting and hallway conversation that occur throughout the day. It may seem odd that I’m picking on buzzwords. Really, what did buzzwords ever do to deserve my wrath?

Most have contributed absolutely nothing to the way we communicate, and that’s actually part of the problem. Simply put, they are nothing more than important-sounding words or phrases that are of little meaning, often used in an attempt to impress someone. I, for one, am not impressed.

Through a quick show of hands, do you know someone that uses buzzwords? Let’s face it; each of us is guilty of using some jargon now and then.

Cause & Effect

As I reflect back on that meeting that initially inspired me to write this blog, I can’t help but wonder what are some of the key contributing factors behind people’s use buzzwords. Based on my own personal experiences, I’ve come up with several reasons  that you can’t make it through a single business meeting without hearing someone use a buzzword:

1. Pithy – There is an inherent desire to capture a complex idea and package into a simple statement that everyone can understand. We all know that simple statements are more likely to be understood. They’re more likely to spread and they’re more likely to sell.
   
   Unfortunately, trying to capture complex concepts and ideas into a simple word or phrase often leads to that word or phrase being over generalized and over-hyped. I would contend that buzzwords like “Big Data”, “Innovation”, and “Cloud Computing” all started out pure, but have become so overused they have almost no meaning and are often overlooked or ignored in conversation.
   
   
2. Recycled ideas – This is nothing more than a new buzzword that represents the same idea that has been circulating and making the rounds for some time. See “Cloud Computing” from above. How many previous buzzwords did it take out? Does anyone says "thin client" or "network computing" anymore?
   
   
3. Sugar coating – This is my favorite reason. Rather than directly stating an uncomfortable fact, people often choose to use a generic buzzword to put a happy or positive spin on an uncomfortable topic in an effort to avoid confrontation.
   
   For example, there have been numerous euphemisms developed over the years that have become universal ways of saying that people are about to lose their jobs. Doesn’t downsizing, right-sizing, reduction in headcount sound much nicer than we’re firing John and Sally?
   
   
4. Secret Club – Some people wear buzzwords as some sort of badge to assert their status, either to intimidate people or to signal affiliation with a group. It’s like a secret handshake and a way to separate them from us. Ironically, those attempting to be known as “in-the-know” or an insider can come across as annoying and obnoxious.
   
   
5. Shield or Mask – An individual doesn’t have anything substantial to say so they try to use impressive sounding words instead. People who abuse buzzwords don’t sound smart.
   
   
6. Language Laziness – Today’s immediate response world demands the over simplification of ideas. Mobile devices and social media demand short snippets of information. If information can’t be consumed quickly people lose interest and move on to the next task at hand.

Are there reasons or contributing factors that you can think of?

Remedy

We’ve all seen the articles and blogs at the beginning of each New Year that highlight particularly annoying buzzwords an author is imploring the readers to stop using. Most of the articles and blogs end up being little more than a venue for the author to complain. Although they may be funny and interesting, they do little to address the problem.

In reality, we all know that the buzzwords are here to stay and, if used correctly, serve a purpose in technology and business. They’re easily recognizable and easy to use. In the right hands, they can invoke and convey ideas in an elegant manner. Instead of proposing something as radical and extreme as asking you to stop using a particular word or phrase, I’m just asking that we be smarter in the way we use them – to reduce your “buzzword footprint”.

So, how do we go about doing that? My approach is simple and straightforward. It first starts with awareness, being diligent in the way you communicate and saying what you really mean. Secondly, be direct and cut to the chase. Challenge yourself and others to understand the meaning of the words that are being used.

Great communicators realize that important ideas don’t have to be dressed up in the buzzword of the day to make their point. It is more important that the speaker and the listener understand and agree on the meaning of the words used in the conversation.

Ask & Challenge

If you’re up to it next week, every time you hear a buzzword that you don’t think the speaker and their audience fully understand or agree on, make a note of it. I’d be curious to hear back from you how many buzzwords you heard throughout your week that provided no value to the conversation.

For those of you willing to take a more active approach, I challenge you to speak up whenever you or someone in your organization uses a buzzword, and immediately call it out. Ask for clarification and agreement on the meaning of the word or phrase.

Your goal should be to affect and improve the quality of your discussions by clearly articulating and agreeing on the ideas behind the words being used. If we can do that then we’ve accomplished our goal of reducing our “buzzword footprint”.