How to Avoid Business Jargon in Your Writing?
Assume your boss asks you to write a business proposal to pitch to a leading company. Then, you put all your efforts into writing the proposal. After that, you send it to the target business and await the response.
After a few days, you learned that your proposal was rejected because the readers could not understand it properly. Imagine how frustrating the moment will be when your hard work will drive no result. Would you like this to happen to you?
If not, then you should stop using business jargon in your writing. The difficult words make your message unclear and prevent readers from understanding the meanings properly.
In this article, we will walk you through some essential practices that will help you abstain from using corporate jargon phrases. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Understand The Audience
Business writing doesn’t address just a specific audience. It involves writing in different formats like email, proposals, and business plans to interact with multiple audiences. Every audience has its own understanding and knowledge levels.
Therefore, understand your audience before crafting any type of document. Knowing your target audience helps you make your message clearer and accessible.
For example, if your document will be reviewed by industry specialists then you can include business jargon. On the other hand, while crafting emails for customers, you must prevent using industry-related terminologies.
Use Simple Language
Describing things in simple language is the best way to avoid jargon phrases in business writing. Whether you are writing a business proposal or report, use familiar words so everyone can understand at first glance. For instance, using the word “cooperate” is much better than the word “synergize.”
Replace all such words with their easier alternatives that can be easily understood. However, sometimes, you don’t come up with the right words due to limited vocabulary in your mind. If you struggle to remember an appropriate synonym for jargon phrases, you can get assistance from a free paraphrasing tool. It enhances the word choice by replacing the jargon in a sentence with the most suitable synonyms.
Avoid Or Limit The Use Of Abbreviations
Many business professionals make the mistake of including excessive abbreviations in their writing. Although this helps them save space, it creates ambiguity, especially for readers who don’t know those terms. So, it is better to avoid using acronyms so that no one feels difficulty while reading.
Sometimes, you may have to use abbreviations, especially when your target readers are industry experts. However, in such cases, the best practice is to spell out the full terms the first time you use them. Then, you can mention those terminologies using specific words throughout your writing.
For example, before using the word KPIs, mention it like “Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the writing. It helps readers know what you are referring to. Consequently, they remain comfortable while reading the abbreviations.
Try To Be Specific In Your Writing
Remember, vague language often leads to the use of jargon. When you use unclear statements, you require more justifications to elaborate on your points, causing you to include difficult phrases unwittingly. That’s why, be specific and only include the information that matters the most.
Always describe things in a few words. Moreover, don’t use wordy idioms and phrases to indicate the same idea that can be stated in a single word. When you aim for brevity in your writing, the chances of including jargon reduces significantly.
For example, instead of using the phrase “think outside the box,” you can simply use the word “be creative.” This makes the content clearer and helps the readers understand what you mean.
Don’t Use Overused Buzzwords
Sometimes, certain words become trendy and are widely used in business writing by different companies. However, these terms only remain effective in a particular time or context, and overuse diminishes their effect. Although these make your writing stylish, they can be difficult for many readers to understand.
So, instead of utilizing such trendy words, use simple terms. When highlighting the benefits or qualities of your services and products, use words that effectively showcase what you offer, making your proposals stand out.
Some overused buzzwords are innovative, disruptive, leverage, synergy, paradigm shift, and core competencies. So, whatever type of document you write, avoid using jargon words to make your message effective and clearer.
Revise And Edit Your Work
Whenever you finish writing any type of content, don’t rush to use it. Rather, first, ensure that it is ready to be used for the intended purpose. For this purpose, spend sufficient time reviewing and making the necessary edits to bring more clarity to work.
This practice helps you eliminate the jargon phrases that you forgot to avoid during the writing process. So, make sure to proofread your content carefully to remove all ambiguities in your writing.
While revising the document, read every line and try to find the words that seem unsuitable or difficult to understand. After identifying such terminologies, replace them with the most appropriate alternatives. Use words that go with the context and enhance the overall clarity. Once you have refined the content, you can fearlessly use it wherever you want.
To Sum Up
To put it in a nutshell, business jargon phrases can ruin the efforts you invest in writing emails, proposals, reports, and other documents. That’s why avoid them to make your writing more persuasive and result-driven.
Getting familiar with the audience and using simple language are the best practices to refrain from using hard-to-understand words. Additionally, staying to the point and avoiding overused trendy terms also prove beneficial for this purpose. From now on, we hope that all your business writing tasks will be free from jargon.
