Most of you know my position on Jargon - I'm not a fan - I believe such language does more to obscure than clarify and can be replaced with simple, direct language without sacrificing meaning.
But I also understand that as B2B writers those pesky industry words can creep into our writing. We get so comfortable hearing those everyday terms and phrases around the office - we see it in our competitors' messaging and think we should be using it too.
While Jargon can be a tool to showcase knowledge or a communication shortcut within specific audiences and industries, too many writers use it as a crutch, failing to realize that terms they may know well can be unfamiliar and meaningless to their audience.
So what exactly is Jargon and how do you fix those weak spots in your B2B Copywriting?
For me "Jargon is unnecessarily complicated words used to impress, rather than to inform, your audience."
Those who use jargon often assume it will make them appear more authoritative Unfortunately - it does the opposite.
A survey by communications company Enreach found that 90 percent of people believe business jargon is used by people who want to “cover up the fact that they have NO IDEA what they’re doing.”
Jargon is also exclusionary by nature, often making people feel like they're not smart enough, and not part of the buzzword circle because they don’t know what it means.
And no one wants their customer to feel excluded.
I divide Jargon into 3 offenders:
Your goal as a writer is to make it effortless for your reader/buyer to understand what you're trying to say.
Here's what you can do to avoid the trap of jargon and find the value in your human messaging.
1 . Write to communicate, not to impress. How do your words make your reader feel?
Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, once explained how he composes his annual shareholder report as if he’s writing to his two sisters, who aren’t active in business. He even starts writing the letter with “Dear Doris and Bertie” then removing the salutation when he’s finished.
Writing to a person who isn't inside your daily business circle forces us to simplify our words. Rather than trying to show off our vast knowledge write to make your words informative and accessible.
2 . Clarity - Be Specific
To avoid confusing your customer your words should be free from open interpretation.
It's not a matter of using less words - sometimes you have to use more to make your message clear.
Instead of " Elevate your team decision making"
Try: "Make decisions quicker so you never miss another deadline."
3 . Translation not Explanation
Using jargon is usually a sign that you’re not close enough to your customer to understand the language they use or will resonate with them.
Think about your audience. Are they colleagues? Customers? Employees? Will they get your message? Do they need to pack a dictionary?
Read your words out loud - even better ask someone else to read it and then explain it back to you.
If your reader is technical and you have no other way to express an idea except to use technical language, then make sure you define the words for readers who may not understand them.
4. Picture This: Use Concrete Words
Jargon is often at worst abstract and at worst vague!
Ian Begg, from the University of Western Ontario, was the first psychologist to study the impact of using concrete language.
In 1972, he created an experiment to test the recall of certain words.
He read out 20 two-word phrases to listeners.
Some phrases were concrete, ie: ‘white horse’ or ‘square door’, while others were abstract - ‘basic theory’ or ‘rational method’.
When asked what words they remembered only 9% could remember the abstract words with 36% recalling the concrete words.
A good way to make your vague words concrete is to ask can my reader picture it or can they experience it?
Instead of "All-in-One Management Solutions"
Try: "Get Your Team Ready for Friday on Monday." or how about "Close those tabs and stop taking screenshots - the only platform you ever need to organise your work."
A strange new trend seems to be occurring with writers thinking they are writing visually - yes I'm looking at you "Thinking out of the box, giving 110%, and aiming at low-hanging fruit" This type of phrasing may conjure up a picture but it will weak, vague, and open to interpretation. Plus a lot of these idioms don't translate well in other languages.
We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves when we write. We think every word needs to blow our readers away, but the reality is our message is an invitation to our readers to join the conversation and take the next step.
If you find yourself using jargon see if you can:
Remove it: If it doesn't add to the sentence get rid of it
Swap it: Is there a simpler word, a more human way to say what you want to say?
Picture it: Can your reader visualise or experience it?
Did you find this issue helpful? It took a "gazillion" hours to become a jargon ditcher if you want your team to find their own A-ha moments — Just forward this edition of Why Our Words Work! with an invitation to subscribe