A few years ago, I worked for an organisation that was having endless problems engaging a local community around a complex problem. They wanted someone to help them communicate the science more effectively, but once inside, I realised that the problem was far deeper.
The problem was corporate speak.
At a 2-hour meeting to discuss communication strategies, I struggled to understand what was being said, as there was so much corporate speak. It was vague, ambiguous, diluted and inauthentic. People were hiding behind grandiose, empty words to avoid being held accountable for their actions, or because they were unwilling or unable to express an actual opinion. I was there to help, but the language excluded me.
Of course, every organisation will have its own insider speak – acronyms, jargon and shorthand that weasel into meetings, presentations and emails in an effort to make communications more efficient. But the more staff fall back on insider or corporate speak, the more quickly they forget what’s assumed knowledge and what’s not – and this hampers engagement both within an organisation and with external audiences.
I was reminded of this problem when a friend sent me this article by Charlie Warzel at The Atlantic: “Business Dudes Need to Stop Talking Like This”. The headline got me nodding in agreement before I’d even read it. The article was inspired by this “near-perfect historical record of business bullshittery” – by McKinsey & Co that is positively bursting with buzzwords and, well, bullshit, that Warzel goes on to eviscerate.
“It’s fun to joke about all this,” says Warzel. “But this phenomenon of garbage business speak is also a scourge, especially in the tech world.”
No matter what industry you’re in, I’m willing to bet you’ve struggled through a minefield of meaninglessness just like this.
So, how do you combat it? Here are a few tips:
#1: Push back
Change starts at home. If lazy corporate speak is happening at your organisation, politely push back: “Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean.” Weasel language is infectious; immunise yourself against it by rejecting it. Even better, if you’re in a leadership position, talk with your team about weasel words and corporate jargon (this is a great book). Setting an internal precedent for clear, meaningful language will prevent all kinds of mishaps in the short term – and it saves you the trouble of “translating” yourself for an external audience down the line.
#2: Simple doesn’t mean simplistic
Staff often won’t push back against corporate speak because they’re worried about looking like the only person in the room who doesn’t get it. This is particularly true for organisations that deal with complex and fast-moving concepts, such as AI and crypto: who wants to expose themselves as being the only one who doesn’t understand how the momentum behind decentralisation can generate significant revenue creation for diverse stakeholders?! At the heart of the problem is the notion that simple means simplistic, or dumbed down – a pet peeve of mine.
The reality is that simple language is hard to perfect. Simple means clear, concise and no fluff — and that takes work. One of the most well-known physicists in the world, Richard Feynman, is famous because of his incredible talent for turning complex ideas into elegant, accessible lectures. In fact, we see this idea all the time in science. E = mc² is famously simple, but not simplistic. As communicators, we should take note and embrace the challenge of making things simple.
#3: Your audience is smart, but not experts
Many organisations have a variation on this idea as part of their communications guidelines: write to an eighth-grade level; speak assuming you’re talking to intelligent teenagers. But from time to time, I see pushback on this ideas: “My audience is scientists, PhDs. They’re sophisticated and intellectual people, they don’t want to read something that’s written for a 15-year-old,” they say.
If you want to respect your audience, you can’t assume that they have the same context as you do. A smart teenager is a great theoretical reader, because no matter how much raw brain-power they have, they simply don’t have the life experience to understand what you’re talking about. It’s about never taking for granted that your expertise and interests may not be someone else’s, no matter how intelligent they are.
Over to you: how do you tackle the scourge of weasel words, insider speak and business bullshit? Any favourite examples of particularly egregious turns-of-phrase? Let me know.
Inspiring me this week… Professor Katharine Hayhoe
Talk about a powerhouse professor. US-based atmospheric scientist Professor Hayhoe has an impressive resume, but what I’m really drawn to is how she communicates to the public about climate change. I’ve been thinking a lot about the impact of “climate doomerism”, and whether the feeling of ceaseless pessimism is doing more harm than good. Professor Hayhoe takes a practical but optimistic approach – she emphasises the impact that individuals can have through conversations, finding shared values and collective actions. Her newsletter features many great examples of this practical-but-optimistic approach, providing a mix of good news, not-so-good news, and tips for actions that readers can do each week. It’s a breath of fresh air, when climate news often feels overwhelming.
We’re obsessed with… Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium has a sea-riously (sorry) special social-media game. From its Instagram account, which is full of cute sea otters and the occasional meme of Pedro Pascal eating PB&J while watching the jelly cam, to its incredible YouTube channel, the Monterey Bay Aquarium team is among my favourite science communicators.
Whether you fancy watching an extremely zen live cam of moon jellies drifting by, exploring the mysteries of the deep with MBARI scientists or simply enjoying ‘2 hours of ‘chill shrimp to work/study/relax to on the lofi hip hop krill waves radio’, Monterey Bay has you covered.
Other news that caught my eye
- Sea otters aren’t just cute – they can be incredibly important for climate conservation. A recent study showed that visitors to sea otters in central California generated over $3M in revenue for the area, which correlated with the financial value visitors placed on protecting the area and sea otters.
- For the maths nerds and Swifties
- Congrats to the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission – making India the fourth country ever to land a space-craft on the moon. There really is nothing like space exploration to bring people together!
Written by: Kylie Ahern, Publisher of The Brilliant and CEO of STEM Matters