Tag: Plain English

#ukhousing jargon: what we can do about habitual horrors

“Some people love speaking in jargon, using fancy words and turning everything into acronyms. Personally, I find this simply slows things down, confuses people and causes them to lose interest. It’s far better to use a simple term and commonplace words that everyone will understand, rather than showing off and annoying your audience.”

Richard Branson on why we should ditch jargon

Nonsense I have an issue with jargon, and it’s not because I’m a pedant…

At its worst, it alienates those who we’re trying to reach and highlights a disconnect between us and the rest of the world.

It also makes no business sense, because it wastes the time of the person who is giving and receiving the information. Those are strong reasons to stop the ‘cut and paste’ approach that litters business correspondence and get back to basics.

Whilst the world of housing (particularly the bit in which I work) isn’t alone in having its own ‘special’ phrases, it’s clear that we have a problem when it comes to clearly explaining what we do. Ask anyone who joins the sector from another industry (as I did once). They’ll probably tell you much of their first few months were spent wondering what people are talking about in meetings and struggling to decipher emails.

If people who work with us feel like that, what does a small business or resident think when trying to find out about something like a new development in their community, for example?

There may be a case for using jargon sometimes; if the audience understands it, using specialist terms can be an efficient way to make a point. But context matters and dumping technical information into a note intended for someone who isn’t an expert bugs those who are on the receiving end.

And don’t even get me started on acronyms (another post for another day)! Our language is littered with them, ranging from the reasonable (HCA, DCLG) to the odd (LA for council) and plain daft (GCN? Great crested newts, or just newts!).

Sure, comms people with their ROIs, metrics, SOVs and other clever words have their own idiosyncrasies. But this should concern anyone who cares about whether people ‘get’ what we do. Continue reading “#ukhousing jargon: what we can do about habitual horrors” →

Government style guide: how many banned words do you use?

A colleague has shared the latest style guide from the Government Digital Service, which sets out some common sense standards it expects those who write for it to uphold.

This is aimed at people who are responsible for producing content for gov.uk, which is set to replace the websites of various departments and other bodies over the coming year or so.

Continue reading “Government style guide: how many banned words do you use?” →

Links I like 12.02.25

The most overused jargon in press release headlines – PR Daily
This post links to Schwartz MSL’s study into the use of keywords in American press release headlines, which can increase the prominence of PR content on internet search engines. It cites some examples of jargon which will be familiar to Brits, with ‘solution’ listed  as the most frequent offender.

Top 10 words that need to die, immediately – Lit reactor
Need I say more?

 

‘Jargon bin’ awaits for nonsense phrases

A random early morning tweet today has found its way onto a dubious list of bad language. Not swearwords: a ‘jargon bin’ full of corporate nonsense, invented by specialists but used and understood by few people outside their immediate circle.

I should point out that it was not my jargon or even my use of it that was being highlighted. I hate jargon and have cringed at times as it is used to bludgeon a clear message. I was innocently tweeting the contents of an email I received via the Government Communications Network, which asked members whether they had an Employee Value Proposition (their caps).

Continue reading “‘Jargon bin’ awaits for nonsense phrases” →

Plain English localism, in black and white

The Government has today published a revised guide to its Localism Bill, in a document it says is written in plain English (without jargon).

It is only available as a pdf, and the black and white design may not be as engaging as more glossy documents produced by the public sector in the past. But communication is all matt, no gloss, now. And if that means less jargon and flowery language too, then I’d welcome that. 

Anything that can explain things like council housing finance in simple terms without becoming crushed under the weight of its own jargon and acronyms (RSL, RP, ALMO, HRA, HCA, to name a few) deserves to be shared with the whole sector.

I would send one to every local council in the country (by email, of course), although some could show the rest of us a thing or two.