The jargon war - it's on your desktop
At Image 7 Group we are in the business of communication ... getting an idea, concept or instruction from one person's head into another person's. There's lots of ways to achieve that, and we can get very 'in-house' at times with our language as we consider the best ways to accomplish this for our clients.
As with any jargon (the language particular to a trade, profession or other group - Macquarie Dictionary) it is simply a shorthand to gain common understanding. Image 7 Group has been advocating for many years that jargon, when well used, is a useful communication tool.
But it is a double-edged sword. The downside of jargon is that it can quickly become a mechanism to exclude people who are not on the 'inside' ... think doctors, lawyers, computer people and the military.
Over the last two decades, management and corporate language has become so filled with jargon that often people speak and write this new language without understanding it. It has become the entry price to being 'organisationally literate'.
Corporate speak - in many cases - has become the message, and technology often gets used as if it is the message. But jargon is not the message. Technology is not the message either. Your message is the message.
Your message is the idea that is in your head and needs to be effectively moved into the consciousness of your audience so that they can consider it and take appropriate action.
Once you've established the core of your message, everything that follows is just a collection of tools in your communication toolbox. Please don't misunderstand me ... we have enormous respect for the craftsmanship required to use those tools. In fact, at Image 7 Group, the bulk of our time is spent 'on the tools'.
Focus is the key. Imagine you are restricted to leaving only one idea ... one thought ... one call to action with your audience. What will it be? Now write it down in words that a 10-year-old can understand.
That's it ... you've got your message.
Next time you need to communicate to more than one person (mass communication), first settle on what your message is. Don't start with the medium, technology or jargon. Start with the end in mind.
You'll be amazed how well it works.
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