8:45am
Saint Paul
Last week I came across this tidbit:
Workplace jargon hurts employee morale, collaboration, study finds
The short of it is that jargon——those “industry insider” words that most people don’t understand——doesn’t only confuse outsiders.
Jargon confuses insiders, too:
According to a new study, using too much jargon in the workplace can hurt employees’ ability to process messages, leading them to experience negative feelings and making them feel less confident. In turn, they’re less likely to reach out and ask for or share information with their colleagues.
It’s not just jargon tho.
Buzzwords count too——like “let’s circle back to this at a later date.”
Ug.
We tend to use big, impressive-sounding words because we want to sound smart.
But they weaken our communication.
Cause people to feel dumb.
And reduce trust.
So keep an eye out for those $10 words and avoid ’em in most of your writing and conversations.
BUT…
Jargon has its place:
To signal your status as an insider.
Discover how (and when) to do that in Oren Klaff’s “Flip the Script.”
Love you,
Jeffrey
PS Sometimes, you’re too close to a product or service to know where others fail to understand it.
So you assume you’re communicating.
But you’re not.
That’s where a copywriterr like myself can help.
I’m not cheap. But I’m less expensive than failing to get new buyers because your message confuses readers.
If you’d like to clarify your marketing message, reply to this email and let’s talk.
PPS Yes I misspelled copywriterr above. Because I’m not a robot. So I left it in for your reading displeasure!