J is for... Jargon Busting
A fun way to jargon bust without seeming nitpicky + an invitation to play
This is a post from a previous blog dedicated to the topic of plain language communication and jargon busting. I wrote this blog based on my personal experience feeling like an imposter in a technical job when I didn’t have a technical background.
Jargon can waste a lot of time and put up invisible barriers to participation, particularly when people don’t feel comfortable to question it.
At the end of this post, there is a list of specific facilitator jargon an an invitation to play the game using facilitation words :)
This is one of my favourite exercises for making people slow down and be intentional about the words they use.
I originally used it as an onboarding exercise for a group of technical trainers - to help them not take for granted that everyone understands the same thing by the words… but I’ve also used it in non-tech situations e.g. to make sure that people understood each other’s job titles.
Ten hundred words
Requirements: This works well online where everyone has their own computer in front of them.
Some of you may be familiar with the online comic XKCD - which shines light into some of the geekiest topics on the planet.
If so, you may know the “Up-Goer-Five comic” where Randall (the author) attempts to label a rocket, in all of its complexity, using only the top “ten hundred” aka “one thousand” words. The result is very amusing:
Up Goer Five by XKCD - CC-BY-NC
The exercise:
It can be very funny to try and explain terms using the same method. You can use the “up-goer five text editor” to help you. The text editor only allows you to enter words that appear in the 1000 most popular words in the English language.
Set your participants the challenge to brainstorm a list of the concepts privately. Ideas for prompts:
things people are likely to misunderstand e.g. technical terms in a training course or
things people are likely to take for granted (like people’s job titles) or
words they have heard their colleagues use but they think not everyone understands
Instruct the participants to pick a word from their list OR have them submit their words to the facilitator (e.g. via a form) and the facilitator distributes the words (e.g. by private chat message) and then do the same.
The latter option is slightly more interesting but there is a risk some participants might not know the meaning of all the words. This is good because it’s the point, but we need to ensure people feel safe to say so and not put on the spot. If this happens, encourage them to message the facilitator that they don’t understand the word and they will be given another. You can make a judgement whether to reveal the words that confused people at the end.Instruct participants to come up with a definition using the text editor
Make it a competition for the best definition. Best definition is measured by reading the definition and seeing who can guess the original word.
Revel in the chaos.
Remind the participants that they don’t have to use this definition, ever. The point of the exercise is to pause before using terms people may not understand!
I find that using this little game at the beginning of a workshop makes it a bit easier to ask when a word isn’t clear. The constraint of not having a full vocabulary is just silly enough to be useful.
The Mindset Shift:
What (are we talking about?) -> So What (does it mean?) -> Now what (should we do about it?)…
This powerful flow will be familiar to many facilitators. It gives us a way to structure conversations so that they take place in a sensible order. In my experience it is so temping rush the “what” part of the flow, groups crave to get to the action (the “now what”).
But if we aren’t on the same page about what we are talking about, there isn’t much point in aligning the group about what to do about it.
From: thinking that jargon busting is pedantic
To: treating jargon busting as a playful activity which is crucial to the beginning of any process
p.s. Facilitators can be pretty bad at using jargon themselves. Whether it is “popcorn style”, “container” or “car park” - we’re all guilty of using something that probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to everyone.
I’m collecting a list of facilitation jargon to play a version of this game with facilitators. Submit a word and let me know if you would like to play here.