Lose the Lingo

This past week I was reminded of the challenges leaders face with something as basic as communication. Business and not-for-profit organizations often use buzz-words, jargon, and acronyms in both internal and external messaging that fail to clearly articulate what we intend to say, or in some cases may actually obscure the truth (perhaps on purpose). This practice makes it harder for employees, customers, and vendors to understand what is happening or how to deal with it.

It’s easy to understand why it is tempting for leaders to adopt “corporate speech” instead of engaging in simple truth telling that is clear and compelling. Using phrases like “innovative thinking”, “emotional intelligence”, or “out of the box” may give the leader a sense of power and authority. It separates the leader from his or her followers, implying that only the educated and experienced in an organization understand the complexities of running a business.

Followers know differently. Their water cooler conversation is more honest. “Doesn’t the boss understand we are hurting here? ‘Voluntary cutbacks’ mean my job is in jeopardy or my pay will shrink. Why can’t she just tell us that is what is going to happen?” This common sense dialogue cuts through the uncertainty and helps employees know how to respond.

It’s hard for some leaders to change their approach to communication, especially when the other person’s behavioral style is different than their own. A results oriented leader may blindly charge ahead with a blunt assessment of the problem while the harmony focused worker feels belittled or ignored in the process. Since every conversation includes an emotional component, a speech filled with corporate gobbledygook may leave listeners anxious, confused or simply angry. Leaders pay a price when they ignore the human side of relationships.

We are so addicted to our use of lingo that changing behavior is bound to include some withdrawal symptoms. The Ragan Report, a leading communicator’s magazine, suggests learning to talk at work in the same way you speak with your family. For example, would you tell your wife, “I love how you leverage our budget to buy groceries each week?” Or offer this advice to your children, “Studying hard is one of your core competencies?” While these illustrations seem absurd, consider the reaction you would get if this is how you spoke at the dinner table.

Try an experiment this next week. Reduce or eliminate corporate or industry jargon from your workplace conversations and see what happens. You may be surprised to learn that your employees and customers will tell you things you didn’t know. By modeling truth telling and encouraging common sense conversations the stage will be set for real change to take place. Now that’s some out of the box, off the wall, innovative thinking that will challenge assumptions, redefine priorities, and facilitate transformative inter-departmental behavior don’t you think? Hey, I didn’t say it was going to be easy!