Have you ever been to a doctor’s appointment and felt as though your doctor was speaking in a foreign language when diagnosing you? Do you find yourself asking, “Can you repeat that in English Doc?” The frustration you feel is normal and happens due to miscommunications caused by unnecessary jargon.

Industry buzzwords can be useful when attempting to create a unified language within organizations, especially when working in a fast paced environment such as an advertising agency or emergency room. Although they can prove to be useful tools in the business world, problems can arise when attempting to use the same buzzwords or “bizspeak” when dealing with clients.

To the outside consumer these complex phrases can seem like meaningless jargon and can cause miscommunications that may result in lost opportunities when attempting to generate leads or conduct business. It’s important to understand when and when not to use buzzwords so that you don’t come across as if you’re speaking Martian.

Here are some suggestions for dealing with non-industry consumers:

• Create a buzzword thesaurus for yourself and your team — provide common translations for complex industry lingo
• Train your team on the importance of using “normal” language with clients
• When sending communications, try to use language that the other person will understand

Consider the following questions before sending an email or leaving a message on an answering machine:

1. How much exposure has the person on the receiving end had in the industry in which you work?
2. Are there simple substitutions to some of the complex industry words you are accustomed to?
3. Could the message be lost in translation if a secretary or intern is the one taking it?

While not all industry lingo is bad, it’s important to find the balance between sounding informative and sounding confusing to the recipient.
Try and keep these tips in mind the next time you have a conversation with a potential client.