Meeting: Blue Sky Ideation to Optimize Concepts Related to Enable Synergies

If you received a meeting request with this title, would you know what the meeting is about and how you might prepare? Have you found yourself in a meeting with a leader who is fluent in “business speak?” If you share my experience, you walk away from those meetings wondering what the heck the meeting was about, much less what your responsibilities are to move whatever the purpose forward.

Welcome to business jargon. There are some “core” (mostly overused) terms. In fact, in an October 2024 article, Inc. magazine included an article on the 50 most annoying corporate jargon words. Common among the many lists of business jargon are phrases such as “boil the ocean,” “let’s unpack that,” “let’s touch base,” “paradigm shift,” “low hanging fruit,” and so many more. Every business has them, and many leaders use them, believing they foster greater understanding and community. In reality, they are not all bad, but when not used judiciously, they can cause confusion and frustration, resulting in a lack of clarity.

LinkedIn and Duolingo commissioned a survey that resulted in a report on the topic of generational perception of business buzzwords. It highlighted clear generational differences in how workplace jargon/business speak is perceived, with 60 percent of Gen Z and 65 percent of millennials expressing a desire to reduce or eliminate the use of workplace jargon, compared to 50 percent of Gen X and 23 percent of baby boomers.

A common-sense approach to effectively use some business buzzwords in your everyday corporate communications includes using them in moderation, understanding the audience, and providing context when using specific jargon. Plain language that describes the situation or challenge, what is going on or needed, providing details of the process and the final product or situation, will help employees understand their role. If you are looking for non-jargon options, The Hook Agency has written an amusing, yet informative article on plain language alternatives.

For those of you wondering what the meeting invitation above is about, your guess is as good as mine! It would take a jargon “ninja” to figure it out!