Comments on: Book Excerpt: What the jargon you use reveals about you

By: Mary Baum

Mary Baum — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:19:07 +0000

I think a lot of the language around social media is reaching cliche status, and very soon the conventions of Twitter and, less so, Facebook are going to be the new jargon. (Assuming they don't just go straight into the language at large.)

Which brings me to the phenomenon, already overdiscussed, of the self-styled social-media guru. Seems to me that's spread so fast because it gives a lot of folks a way to join the digital age as professionals, they think, without having to learn significant technical skills: no html/css, no jargon they didn't want to learn. Not even the discipline of maintaining a blog!

All they need to do is fill out a few dialogue boxes and type in some text fields – and, boom! Now they're on the cutting edge!

Of course, it would help if more of them had started two or three years ago and not last May . . .

By: harris

harris — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:49:27 +0000

if someone tells me to "circle back" one more time i'm going to unch them in the face.

By: Tiara

Tiara — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 03:31:50 +0000

hi nice post, i enjoyed it

By: Here’s why you should NOT use jargon « brisebois blog

Here’s why you should NOT use jargon « brisebois blog — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:00:26 +0000

[...] August 2nd, 2007 · No Comments You lose your authenticity when you reach for clichéd phrases, and your choice of jargon reveals your weakness. (Brazen Careerist) [...]

By: Recommended Reading at Race in the Workplace - how race and racism influence our working lives

Mon, 14 May 2007 13:39:50 +0000

[...] What the jargon you use reveals about you – Brazen Careerist I hate corporate-speak with a passion and I try to make a point not to use it, even though many people around me do. It's entirely possible to get your point across without resorting to the phrase of the week. Penelope Trunk translates some of the most common jargon you hear and the commenters include some of their own favorites. [...]

By: Peter Degen-Portnoy

Peter Degen-Portnoy — Fri, 11 May 2007 17:43:20 +0000

Hi Penelope,

I am proud to consider you a friend. Thank you for thinking of me in the same light.

Yours,

Peter

By: Rene Banaag Jr.

Rene Banaag Jr. — Fri, 11 May 2007 14:00:03 +0000

Aside from the very nice write-up, I just want to say you are so pretty in your picture..

By: Caroline Jack

Caroline Jack — Fri, 11 May 2007 13:09:37 +0000

http://www.boston.com/jobs/globe/articles/041705_buzzwords.html
the authors of the "Bullfighter's Guide" Penelope mentions studied perceptions of corporatespeak. Their test subjects describe jargon use as rude and obnoxious.

I don't want to come off to my customers- nor my co-workers- as rude and obnoxious.

I posted on this a few weeks back: http://cjack.wordpress.com/2007/04/14/corporatespeak-is-hurting-you-and-your-company/

By: Margaret

Margaret — Fri, 11 May 2007 13:06:02 +0000

Love the post! A few comments:

* as someone above alluded to, jargon is a tribal affiliation. As in, we all speak the same (twisted, hackneyed) language and those other people don't. Being fluent in Jargonese is a critical skill when dealing with pompous asses who question your authority and value tribal loyalty. It's a way to say We Are Academics or We are Engineers, and everyone else is different from us. Or, We Are Special.

* 'low hanging fruit' in my world = 'let's only deal with people we already know and make no effort to extend our work beyond my [the boss's] personal network'.

* touching base for me is really that. I'm changing jobs and I'm fervently updating my LinkedIn connections to make sure that I don't lose touch with the people I like/respect. I've been dropping emails to associates at my new institution to say hi. Hmmm, maybe I do want something (a beer)?

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 11 May 2007 02:53:29 +0000

I agree with the distinctions here between jargon and cliches. The reason many people bristle at jargon is because they see it as an exclusionary language. People like jargon because it makes them feel special and part of a special group. Misusing jargon is a surefire ticket to ostracism however. If you are going to use language, make sure you understand what it really means before you start throwing it around. "Ping" was cute when the people using it knew what "ping" meant.

Personally, my problem is with people who create new words. We need to go "ideate" some more. I heard that in a meeting and waited for everyone to laugh…they didn't…and they used it again and again. Ugh. That kind of thing annoys me. But then again, part of team building is developing your own norms and even language…it is not per se a bad thing. The people who complain about these things are usually complaining because they feel left out of the "inner circle." I think, to that extent, getting all fired up about jargon can be self-defeating.