“Drill down to the root of any issue with a high-level and outside-the-box look at the proliferation of office jargon in today’s modern workplace.” This sentence contains no fewer than four separate examples of how office jargon has become so pervasive in workplaces across the nation. It is simply too easy to adopt so many of today’s catchy sayings and clever phrases . from low-hanging fruit to top of the funnel. Those who do so are occasionally able to create new, trendy marketing jargon that speaks to the nation. The infographic below provides a high-level look at some of the most common office jargon meanings and insights that have really “moved the needle” in recent times. Oh wow, there we go again!
When it comes to office jargon, there are those who know how to handle themselves, and there are those who simply cannot hold back on the opportunity to “synergistically drill down” to the “root of the problem.” While marketing jargon and clever workplace sayings are often quite conveniently and accurately used to describe a situation or concern, there is a certain level of moderation that must be used. Otherwise, interactions become a back and forth battle of who can come up with the catchier sayings first. So take some time and really dive into some of the more common office phrases heard today . you may avoid the embarrassment of running an oft-overused saying up the flagpole at your next business meeting.
Keep in mind that there are some benefits to using new phrases to describe activities that are essentially routine tasks around the office. For example, providing your direct reports with a “to-do” list is great, but doesn’t it sound much more powerful to provide an action-item report? Imagine asking your direct reports if they have “completed the to-do list,” versus inquiring whether they’ve “completed the action item report.” The latter simply sounds more powerful and worthy of their attention. In the past you may have answered a request from a supervisor with “I’m not sure, let me find out,” but think of how much more tuned-in you’ll sound when you reply with “I’m not sure, but let me drill down and uncover the answer.”
Office jargon, while often comical in its overuse, can help to create improved communication within the workplace because many of the sayings invoke greater emotion than simply describing a task alone. The next time you decide to ascertain a co-worker’s bandwidth prior to assigning a low-hanging fruit task, you may want to first consider whether they have all of their ducks in a row. Ultimately, office jargon is here to stay . so uncover jargon meaning of both new examples and classic standbys with the Office Jargon Infographic from National Pen.
