Jargony jargon

You know that feeling when someone talks to you using unfamiliar or intimidating jargon?

For me, it usually doesn’t feel all that great. It can be confusing. Or frustrating. And at times, it can make me doubt myself and my intelligence.

Sometimes I ask them to pause so I can get clarification. Sometimes I focus intently and try to understand what they’re talking about using context clues. And sometimes I just let my eyes glaze over while my brain begins to wander somewhere else.

I landed at that crossroads this morning while on the phone with an insurance broker. The insurance quote we were there to review included a huge chart, a bunch of insurance terms, and tons of numbers and figures. Definitely not my comfort zone.

But before I got stuck in my head, another member of the team jumped in to say, “We’re going to walk through this in basic terms. Pause at any point for clarification.” And they proceeded to do just that. With kindness. I still needed to ask a few questions, but they made the quote approachable and understandable.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we are on the other side of this scenario. We’re the ones who forget that the language in our field or job function isn’t widely understood.

And I get it. Fields often have technical language for a reason.

But we’re not always speaking with folks who work or spend time in those spaces. So when we do, it’s our responsibility to communicate in ways that are accessible to the person or folks we are communicating with. Especially when we’re inviting people to collaborate.

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