Don’t talk like them

I don’t like corporate jargon. No one does. Yet it’s the de facto language of business. It doesn’t surprise me to hear some professions talk like this (not naming names). But it bums me out when I hear designers and engineers do it. It bums me out for a lot of reasons–because it’s not helping anyone. Especially themselves.

Corporate newspeak sucks

I’m labeling corporate jargon as newspeak. That word seems like a better fit with every passing day. It’s the language of bullshit.

It’s used as a dog whistle to announce they’re “in the club”–because they aren’t. It’s used to sound credible–without actually having to be. It’s used to sound smart–by people who usually aren’t. It’s used to prop up ideas with fancy words–because they can’t stand on their own. It’s used to filibuster–to fill up space with a lot of words that mean nothing. It’s used to sow confusion–so that they can avoid having to stand behind a message. What sucks the most is that it’s almost always done for the gain of the speaker instead of the audience.

And in an ironic twist of fate, the peddlers of bullshit convinced countless others to adopt it. It’s both universal and non-existent. Every press release and quarterly report is soaked in it. But it’s no where in real human conversations.

I could go on and on about why corporate newspeak sucks. It’s cathartic, but not helpful. Instead, I’ll spend the rest of this writing about how it doesn’t need to be like this.

Doers don’t need to do this

Designers and engineers are makers. They’re doers. They don’t need to talk in bullshit. Because they do shit. Now, I’m under no illusion that designers and engineers are perfect. An encylopedia can be filled with their failings. But both professions are makers. And that holds weight. That doesn’t mean makers don’t have to talk about what they make or what they do. At some point, everyone has to explain their thinking, their work, or their value. That can take the form of a portfolio, or a job interview, or a presentation. The trick is to not fall into the trap of speaking bullshit.

So, how does one not bullshit? There’s not one single answer, but this is mine.

First, have something to say. This is the key point–all else hinges on this. Be selective and critical of what you put out in the world. That, “something”, should be intentional, considered, and helpful to others. It’s far better to say nothing if you have nothing to say. Save it for when there’s something worth other’s time. Use that time spent not saying stuff finding something useful to say for you and others.

Yes, The Algorithm ™ will argue otherwise. It wants volume. It wants frequency. It wants what helps itself. You do not fit into that picture. Quality is much better than quantity.

Second, say what you mean. Yes, this means be honest. But it also means to be direct and plain-spoken. Big ideas don’t need big words. Get to the point.

Let’s use the example of design system documentation. A button component description could be, “The button component constitutes a discrete, interactive user interface element facilitating the initiation of deterministic actions within the application context.” Or it could be, “Buttons let people take actions.” One says, “I take myself way too seriously”. The other describes what a button is.

Third, say it like you’d actually say it. Write and talk like you actually talk. The things people publish are working double-duty. Their first job is to get the intended point across. But they also open a window into who the person behind the words is. Don’t undervalue that.

Talking or writing in corporate newspeak sucks the personality out of the message. The same goes for the messenger. Now, someone may be saying, “The way I talk is boring and meandering.” Well, then fix that. “Be yourself” isn’t a call to celebrate mediocracy. Be who you are–while trying to be better.

If you’re not able to describe something in a document or presentation, say it out loud. Hell, talk to a rubber duck. Do whatever you need to say things how you’d actually say them.

Fourth, back it up. People that describe themselves as visionaries aren’t visionaries. The actual handful of visionaries alive don’t have to say it–because they’ve proven it.

Don’t describe what can be shown. Great work speaks for itself. Yeah, most of us aren’t in that echelon. So, it’s understandable that us mortals need to add color from time to time. But showing should take center stage.

A portfolio spending more time describing the work has a problem (I’m looking at you, Gestalt case study). Sometimes you have to puff your chest out a little. But a little goes a long way. Showing the work should do the heavy lifting. Let the audience come to their own conclusion.

The same goes for documentation. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. Documentation can try to explain a pattern with a wall of text. But it’ll be more effective to let an working demo do the heavy lifting.

Oh, and AI

The term, “soulless language” now has a whole other dimension to it. Corporate newspeak is now a basic prompt away.

Let me be radically transparent with you. There was a season in the zeitgeist when leveraging elevated vernacular signaled intellectual capital. That era? Sunset.

In today’s landscape, over-indexing on sophisticated terminology is actually a red flag for authenticity debt. Why? Because the playing field has been fundamentally leveled.

Every single individual now has frictionless access to AI-powered linguistic augmentation tools. The prompt “optimize my lexicon for executive presence” is literally one click away for anyone ready to uplevel their content game.

See? Now everyone can sound like an asshole. There was a time when using fancy jargon made someone sound smart. “Rewrite this to use fancier words” is a prompt anyone can type into their agent of choice.

Sounding like a normal human hasn’t been normal for a while now. AI will only exaggerate this. And let’s be honest–many, many people are leaning on AI for what they say.

We can do better

A lot of people despise writing, speaking, or plain old communication. I get it–we all don’t like the same thing. Some people feel shaky in their qualification, or skills to articulate. I get that as well. Defaulting to corporate lingo can feel like a shortcut around those issues. But it’s going through the motions.

I see it as a missed opportunity though. Bullshitters need to bullshit, because that’s all they have. Doers don’t need to bullshit. Not only that–doing so harms the standing that comes with being a doer. Writing and/or speaking may not be your thing. But for skilled doers, the hardest work is already done. The work of the work. The reward of doing the work is not having to rely on bullshit.

It may not be fun, but I urge doers to hone the craft of saying. It’ll create even more distance away from them.