Avoid Your Internal Jargon in External Communications
Written by PR Etc., Inc.
Published by Rockford Register Star
Monday, September 25, 2006

We all do it. We speak “our language” within our own company walls. We have language and acronyms within our organizations that we all know what it means or stands for, and we use it on a consistent basis.

But once we leave our four walls or invite someone new into them, this might as well be a different language. While we can explain what the company or industry jargon might mean, that takes time, and in some cases, the external audiences still may not grasp the full meaning.

This is especially critical when you are communicating – whether written or oral – with current and potential customers. Customers want to understand the details and benefits of your product or service. Each time you communicate in your ‘company jargon,’ it only serves as a hiccup, thus delaying, negating or possibly misrepresenting the information.

Eliminating any ‘company-speak’ is also crucial when communicating with the media. What they don’t understand, they are not going to report about. They don’t have enough time to dig through acronyms, abbreviations or a company’s unique catch phrases to include in their story.

The easiest way to avoid this problem is either to not use them at all outside your four walls or be able to easily explain the jargon within one sentence.