I wonder how many people are hired into senior leadership positions (even though they are not qualified) simply because they say words that *sound* like they know what they are talking about. To an unsuspecting board member/interviewer, the candidate may say so many of the right words, it’d be silly not to hire them. And yet. When you hear jargon, it should be a >>red flag<< 😂

Why? Much gratitude to Gabrielle Dolan’s work on freeing yourself from jargon to help break this down. People use jargon to avoid saying something directly. Like saying “downsizing” instead of “jobs lost” or “investment” instead of “spending”. They use jargon to sound important, smart or in-the-know. In our field, terms like “human-centered design”, “collective impact” and “capacity building” come to mind. People also use jargon to gain acceptance, to fit in. We start speaking the way those around us speak. How many of us pivoted during the unprecedented times of the pandemics?

Some jargon is coded, meaning it likely has bias embedded within it. Think of “nice neighborhood” or “team player”. Some jargon is loaded, meaning it implies multiple meanings and can draw a strong emotional response. The listener is kind of left to guess what the intended meaning is because it likely has different meanings for them. This includes words like “wealth”, “power” and “giving”.

Consequences of using coded, loaded language include lack of trust. People don’t believe you (well, maybe the board member interviewer does…). There’s also so much language that is code for bias whether you know it or not. That includes terms like “culture fit” and “lean in” and “marginalized”. (See @Ruchika Tulshyan’s interview with @McKinsey&Co here: https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-on-books/author-talks-dont-call-it-diverse). Another consequence is sheer misunderstanding. If they aren’t familiar with the term, people don’t know what the heck you are saying.

As a leader-facilitator who seeks to create spaces of belonging and inspire possibility, it doesn’t serve your purpose to use fancy words. Your mission is to invite people in to the conversation, not repel them.

Now you may be saying: OK, Jennifer, but you use the terms “capacity building” and “professional development” and “technical assistance”—what do those even mean? And, yep. You’re right. They are jargon-y terms that mean different things based on who uses the them. But, they are terms that are so widely used. So, if you’re searching for information and help related to your work, you are likely to search those terms. Sad but true. Believe me, none of us are happy with these terms. Lately, we’ve been tinkering with “organizational resilience” but that also falls pretty flat for me since it feels overused and unclear. My best words today about what we do are: We support leaders of organizations who care about young people navigate the complexities of various systems so they can actually offer help instead of harm.

And some words didn’t start out being jargon, but have been so overused that their original meanings have changed or have become empty terms. Here’s the list I’d recommend you avoid using in the nonprofit/education/youth development space:

1. Technical assistance

2. Capacity building

3. Resilience

4. Decolonize

5. STEM/STEAM

6. DEI/DEIB/DEIJ

7. Empower

8. Grit

9. Change Agent

10. Restorative

11. Quality

12. Coaching

13. Community of Practice

14. Engaging

15. Impact

In short: Avoid jargon. Avoid it. Do not use it. If that means using a few more words that are clear and explanatory vs one succinct phrase that is coded or loaded, so be it. Instead, use common language that may not sounds as cool, but is more understandable and relatable to more people.

And, hey, you already know how to speak in “kitchen table” language, “everyday” language. Use that. You’ve got this. ❤️