Vocabulary is one of the key drivers for keeping people tuned in to what you’re trying to communicate. But, vocabulary can also be one of the major pitfalls of communication. Because, when a word doesn’t mean anything, when it’s a random placeholder, the easiest thing to do is fail to understand it, forever. And then there’s no recovery. Then you’ve lost your audience.
What is your vocabulary?
Of course, every industry has it’s own particular jargon. It’s own vocabulary. Some of it serves a purpose, a whole lot of it is probably just of the ‘placeholder’ type. You might like to think it helps get your information across. Well think again! It’s probably doing just the opposite and fuzzing things up.
Check and double check
Of course the biggest danger lies in the fact that you get so used to hearing your own vocabulary that it becomes really difficult to sift out the stuff that weakens your message instead of strengthening it. Check what you’ve written and keep asking yourself the question: do people know what you’re talking about? Is your vocabulary a strong or a weak one? Are people tuning in to your story? Are your words making the difference?
martine croll 