Jargon

Jargon – Is it really the "presentation evil" we all think it is?

Every presentation skills workshop will advise you: Do NOT use jargon when making presentations.

The reason we're told not to use jargon is simple: jargon is rarely understood outside the industry or sector where it was created. So it stands to reason that if we use jargon there is a high chance of confusing or loosing our listeners.

Okay, this thinking seems to make sense, but it's not very logical. There are in fact at least three times when jargon can and probably should be used during a presentation.

The first area is of course when jargon is unavoidable. I have a client who works in telecoms. His department was responsible for auditing the bills that came from the various companies that provide service to his company. Because of the volume of bills, the auditing process only looks at a very small fraction of the bills. In order to do this effectively, their company had developed a computer system call CABS. CABS stands for "carrier access billing system."

From time to time, my client had to make presentations to other departments in his company about his work. There was no practical way to talk about his work without referring to CABS. If he completely omitted the word "CABS" when he presents, imagine how more complicated his speaking would be!

Sometimes using jargon is unavoidable. The trick of using jargon when you are presenting is that you must explain or define it as soon as you use it. And don't expect people to remember the definition, you'll need to remind them from time to time.

I can remember many years ago as a CPA attending a motivational presentation in Hong Kong. I had heard that the speaker was really good, and my boss recommended that I attend. When the speaker walked to the lectern and started speaking, I realized right away that he was not an accountant and had very little experience with our profession. But this speaker still won the hearts of everyone in the room.

How did he do this? He made a great effort to learn something about work as an accountant. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember that he used much accounting jargon during his talk, and he used it not just correctly, but also in a very humorous way. I can still remember what how this speaker ended his presentation because he received a standing ovation from the 300+ crowd who came to hear him speak that day. He surely earned his speaking fee!

Presentation skills courses are so formularized that we are even trained to omit jargon when we are talking among the industry experts who coined the terms! This of course is a case of going too far. People in the same industry use jargon not only to save time, but to connect with each other. That's why the motivational speaker above got such rave reviews – he connected with the audience. Jargon is one of the ways that people define themselves.

Sometimes you may find yourself with a mixed audience – some technical people, and some laymen. The best thing to do is to determine ahead of time what the lowest common denominator is, and address the audience at this level. Make sure you explain to the experts first that there are some generalists in the audience, and this is why you are moving slowly, not using jargon, or seem to be treating them like children. Let everyone know that you are doing your best to reach out to all members of the audience.

Don't be afraid to use jargon, but do learn how to use it. Here are the jargon rules:

• Don't use jargon if you're talking to people who are unfamiliar with it
• If you can't avoid using jargon, explain what it means to your audience – you can even create additional interest in your talk if you do this well
• Do use jargon if you're trying to connect with your audience, and they are in a technical field – make sure you use THEIR jargon!
• When talking to your own colleagues or industry experts, make sure you use your jargon or people will wonder why you're talking down to them