Taking jargon to the "next level" !

I've just read a great article in the newspaper about jargon. We Kiwis use a lot, and Kiwi churches are no exception. It's different to metaphor and idiom which can be creative and clarifying. It's like another language, the trouble is it's nonsense and, according to Harvard Business review "feeds and encourages lazy minds." I agree, and am determined to avoid insulting people's intellect with it.

Here are my most disliked:

• "Thinking outside the box" - let's just say 'creative thinking,' or even just 'thinking'
• "Giving 110%" - let's face it, this is just inefficient. How can anyone do more than they're actually capable of??? Let's use "Giving 100%"
• "Going forward" oooow I really dislike this one. Have you ever really seen anyone or any company or any organisation "going backwards"? 
• "Pushing the envelope" - what on earth is that?! Have you ever seen anyone do this? Surely words like 'innovative' and even 'edgy' would be far more descriptive. 

What are yours? add a comment.

Language is one of the primary communicators of cultural values. Not only the actual words we use, but also the way we use them (or abuse them). When we fill our sentences with jargon we are expressing a low level of interest in insight and articulation. A society's ability to communicate powerfully is dependent on its people sharing the same meanings and associations of words. The more we use secret gobbledegook for our church friends or workmates, the less we will actually understand each other and the more we will simply confuse.

If you value clear communication let's commit to use intelligible and creative speech and avoid confusing each other. If we want to speak another language I suggest we learn a known tongue and actually bless people. uurrr, I mean encourage them with truth they can understand and enjoy.