Helping professions, like so many others, end up with their jargon and shorthand language to describe complex things. Sometimes they generate phrases for things we experience but don’t have a clear or ready language for. It saves time, reduces word count and creates a shared sense of understanding.
Until it doesn’t. Just because certain phrases are frequently used in the workplace doesn’t guarantee that they are helpful. Jargon can alienate people who feel less comfortable with these new terms and reduce curiosity in those who have become all too familiar with them. The illusion of common ground means we are less likely to stop and ask “Wait, hang on, what do you mean by that?” And precise sounding terminology can hide less than precise understanding.
One of the best ways to test how well we really understand a subject is to explain it in plain language in a way that conveys simplicity without becoming simplistic. It’s not a case of ‘dumbing down’ – quite the opposite, it’s about clarity.
We want to do the heavy lifting to make the ideas accessible, so the other person doesn’t have to waste effort trying to decipher or translate what we are saying. We want to free up their energy to focus on the content. To reflect on how what we are saying fits with what they already know or to find a place in their understanding for something new.
Helen Mentha 