Have you ever been in a meeting listening to someone who was talking, but you had little understanding of what they were saying not due to the difficulty of the topic, but because the language was bathed in buzzwords and meaningless jargon?! I have. Way too often.
Over two decades ago, I made the leap from a career as a physicist to a career as a consultant. It was challenging for reasons I did not expect. Intellectually, it wasn't challenging, but socially and culturally it was a shock to my system. As I have reflected over the years, many things struck me as odd including the frenetic pace as compared to academia, the emphasis on "showing" progress, and in some cases the drive for completion over accuracy. Over the years, I acclimated to much of this, but there's one thing I've never grown accustomed to: the buzzwords and unnecessary jargon. Mind you, it's not context-specific business jargon or acronyms. It's primarily the viral buzzwords and jargon that can lead to annoyance, reduced clarity, diminished connection, and in the worst cases confusion and demotivation.
Almost daily, I coach executives who tell me that they want to foster more engaged teams, inspire their staff, and develop deeper relationships with their clients. For those that are guilty of it, one of my top recommendations is to ditch the buzzwords and unnecessary jargon. I've never experienced a scenario where using this all too common manner of speaking has resulted in building greater trust and connection. In fact, it does just the opposite. It distances people.
Business buzzwords distance people.
I also find it ironic that within a work environment that traditionally emphasizes efficiency and productivity, this inefficient and ineffective language is allowed to persist. While in my circles, I've heard this language sometimes referred to as "corporate speak" or at times "consultant speak," my favorite term for this buzzword-infected way of speaking has to be "garbage language." I'm including the link here to the well-researched article that introduced me to this fitting label - "Garbage Language: Why do corporations speak the way they do?"
Because I like the term so much, from this point on, I will refer to this inefficient and ineffective jargon as "garbage language." Before I go into what makes garbage language inefficient and ineffective, here is a list of common examples I've heard over the years.
"Ping me"
"Boil the ocean"
"Leverage"
"Circle back"
“Weigh-in”
"Availability"
“The ask is"
"Soup to nuts"
"Fall on the sword/grenade"
"Tip of the spear"
"Go to bat"
"Over-rotate on"
"Value-chain"
"Unpack"
"Double click"
"White space"
"At scale"
"Over-indexing"
"Value-add"
"Level-set"
"Tee-up"
Now before you react to some of these and argue that certain ones are very appropriate and shouldn't be on the garbage language list, here's a thought experiment for you... Would someone in your family (e.g. mom, spouse, or child) have any idea what you're talking about and not look at you funny if you used the word or phrase? For example, I like imagining responding to my wife when she asks me what my son wants for dinner, with "The ask is spaghetti and meatballs." Or even better... My son comes home from a rough day at school and he says he wants to quit school because of the way he's being treated, and I lean in and respond with, "Let's unpack that." Ugh! Of course, there are times when a term like "leverage" or "at scale" makes sense to use, but I'd argue that many of these are overused and lose their efficacy when more personal language would be more effective.
As a matter of practicality, we want to consider the following - When I hear this language, what do I experience and what does it produce in the environment? Does it produce clarity or confusion? Does it generate connections or does it distance us? Does it invite inquiry and discussion, or does it shut down the conversation?
Considering using any of the above terms in a personal context seems ludicrous. The reason for this is because we know that this language tends to be overly formal, pretentious, distancing, and unclear. I will go further and say that it's rarely productive unless your primary goal is to protect yourself from scrutiny by leaving people feeling detached from you and your message, and possibly befuddled. Consider this, the last time you heard words or phrases like these used, did you and other people in the room relax more, smile, and share in the conversation, or did it result in more formal interaction, pretense, and a limited number of voices in the room?
Sometimes garbage language is not just the buzzwords, but it's the awkward, wordy, and complicated phrasing used to convey the idea. Here are some real examples I've heard.
"The only action for you will be to weigh in on your availability once we confirm the dates." Translation - You'll need to let us know if you are available once we have the dates.
"Let’s hop on a call to quickly tee-up the ask for…" Translation - Let's have a call so we're clear about what we're requesting.
"Own creating the sense of trust among the team." Translation - Develop team trust.
"He's open and cares. This helps the team from an execution level." Translation - He's open and cares. This helps the team work effectively.
For kicks, here's a statement for you to practice translating that I came across. It's a tricky one because some of the jargon might "seem" necessary. See if you can make it understandable to someone at your home dinner table. - "We're also expanding our go-to-market approach by integrating platforms and their underlying integrated solutions with our strategic alliance solutions, and then leveraging further opportunities to show differentiated value through our growing product portfolio." ...Blah blah blah. There has to be a simpler and more effective way to convey this.
Why garbage language is inefficient
Garbage language tends to make simple things abstract and/or uses impersonal metaphors to decrease relatedness. For example, if I ask you to "ping me" when what I mean is for you to contact me, I've just dehumanized and mechanized our relationship by introducing a term used to describe computer networking connections. Phrases like "tip of the spear" and "fall on the sword" introduce images of conflict and violence unnecessarily overdramatizing the situation, often when just the opposite is needed. These phrases also tend to communicate and propagate unconscious, unhandled aggression that the receiver is left to decipher and ingest. Most people in business environments know that their work is not life or death, and I am convinced we'll reduce our levels of stress if we stop talking like this.
So, when do people use garbage language? In my experience, people default to garbage language when they are unsure of themselves, are being the least vulnerable, and want to sound smart. It's not only impersonal, but it's often lazy. In some cases, garbage language is used as armor, a shield, and a weapon to protect the one using it from other's scrutiny, and to (unconsciously) attack the senses and leave the recipient feeling stupid and sifting through the garbage. After all, if you're bewildered and trying to figure out what I just said, then there's little chance you're going to question or challenge me.
Garbage language is used to attack the senses and leave the recipient feeling stupid and sifting through the garbage.
What to do about garbage language
If you're on the receiving end of garbage language, I suggest you do what you can to make your work environment a "garbage language-free zone" by being bold enough to call it out, especially when egregious by saying something like, "Could you say that again in plain English?" You will be doing everyone a favor and this may help the offender snap out of their protection and reconnect with the listener on a more personal level.
If you are the one using the garbage language, start to notice what's happening with you when you start to use it. Pause and search for simpler, familiar language to connect with your audience. In those moments, you may be unsure or unclear when the stakes are high. It's in those instances that slowing down, being authentic, direct, and clear will win you more favor and trust than using a string of complex buzzwords and unnecessary jargon that leave the receiver feeling distant and wondering WTF did you just say.
Being authentic, direct, and clear will win you more favor and trust.
Effective communication is judged by the impact your words have on the receiver. When you speak, do you generate clarity, rapport, and trust, or do you produce something else? In my experience, using "plain English" is always better. I recommend using the "home dinner table" litmus test. Before the string of buzzwords comes out of your mouth, think "How would someone in my family hear this, and would it bring us closer together?" If it won't bring you closer, say it differently.
Here are a few honorable mentions that didn't make the garbage language list, but do accomplish the added result of being oppressive and diminishing morale.
"Slacker"
"Are we having fun yet?"
"Keep your head down."
If you're a leader that wants to inspire, engage your colleagues, and promote an innovative workplace, never, I repeat, never use these phrases, not even in jest. They kill the things you say you want and the result will be lower morale, reduced engagement, and diminished productivity. If you hear these phrases being used, do everything you can to call them out and to stop it. They are certain to create a toxic work culture.
Make your business a "garbage language-free zone."
Finally, if more trust, connection, and engagement are what you want in your organization, then clean up your language and make your business a "garbage language-free zone." The health of your workplace depends on it.