Episode: 819

Episode Title: The Upsides of Jargon 

It’s your first day at a new job, you’re being shown around—and you don’t have a clue what anyone is talking about. It’s jargon in action and we’re going to talk about it, next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 819 show:

Welcome back to The Perna Syndicate! Whether intentionally or not, the use of workplace jargon can cause a new person to feel like their colleagues are speaking a language they don’t understand. This can be especially tough for those who speak English as a second language.

Jargon often stands in as a shortcut for complex and business-specific ideas. That’s why it can be quite hard to decode what the jargon means from the words alone. But to be fair, the use of jargon is not all bad. 

Jargon can create efficiencies, and recent research shows that many people believe that having a better grasp on workplace jargon will help them get ahead at work. However, this comes with a warning: using jargon you only half-understand can backfire on you.

Or say you’re using a piece of jargon that isn’t in your colleague’s repertoire. You may unintentionally be making them feel like an outsider. But by being sensitive in our use of jargon—and maybe taking a minute to restate any jargon we do use in layman’s terms—we can be sure that everything we want to communicate is understood. 

What’s more, our coworker will feel like they can succeed as a part of the professional circle as well. It’s a win for everyone to understand—and to be understood. 

Thank you for tuning in today! I hope to see you back tomorrow to wrap up our jargon week on The Perna Syndicate.