Whether you’re getting input from an engineer or a financial guru, you may find yourself searching for a delicate way to ask them to be, er, um, less technical. While we’re at it, we might swap out the rarefied lieu in that last sentence for the more plainspoken in place of. In the above examples, you could just as well substitute rest time instead of BOG for the weary troops, as well as executive in lieu of c-suite, and is sick in lieu of has the bug. When you spot a clunky turn of phrase in your draft, look for a more conversational alternative. Unfortunately, the reporter probably can’t use this quote in her story without some added explanation. What the general means is yes, but he uses a term that most civilians have to look up in this context, BOG is short for boots on ground. General: “We believe BOG-time will be sufficient.” Reporter: “Will that be enough time for the troops to rest?” General: “Our unit will rotate back in approximately seven months.” That’s true for emergency responders trying to coordinate with other departments that use different radio codes, and for military officials briefing the press on an upcoming deployment, as in this example: 1Įvery specialty has unique terminology that separates insiders from the general public, but this separation leads to trouble when you need to communicate broadly. Here’s how to make sure your writing is easy to understand. While it’s fun to tinker with language, invent creative slang, and show off your wonkery with jargon, sometimes the best way to get things done is by using straightforward, plain language. When communication breakdowns happen, they can be devastating for you, your clients, and your team. Cheryl has the bug, can you grab? A quick statement would be clutch.”Īrgh. “Hey there, WaPo is looking to intvw c-suite rn re rollout. office that makes absolutely no sense to your bleary, uncaffeinated eyes: As your panic escalates, you notice this final dagger-an email from your company’s D.C. Maybe your boss has been preoccupied with high-level issues and delegated the details of the project to you. A journalist is calling-asking to interview your boss’s boss. That’s when the bombshell drops: somehow, parts of the story have leaked early. You’ve gathered input from scientists and software developers at your company to clarify the details of your message, you’ve run the language past your boss and a company lawyer-you’ve even sat down with an executive to make sure your tone is on brand. Say your team has been coordinating a crucial media announcement for weeks. At no time is this more evident than when workplace communications fail. If your work consists largely of moving words around on a screen, being understood is essential.
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