Common Language
Living on the Same Page
My accountability buddy and friend Jeff Matlow posted in his The Best Leadership Ever Newsletter last week about The Confusing Signs of Poor Communication. That post led to a back-and-forth discussion on the importance of communication in the workplace especially from leadership.
It made me think about the core challenge I am generally hired to solve when working with companies, teams, and executives. It is more often than not - a communication issue. Like a chiropractor, I am told the problem “ is a lack of understanding, market fit challenge or awareness”. But, with further investigation and stakeholder interviews, it is usually “alignment” with a message or a story. Sometimes it is a “product problem” and that is another post.
Many years back, when my work partners and I were reviewing what constitutes a “communication system”, we hit on the notion of a Glossary being a significant component of a company's nomenclature. It was always an afterthought, but we knew to capture it as part of our process.
Today, one of the most important artifacts I create for companies, especially technical ones, is their glossary. In many cases, it does not exist or is scattered among desktops, in multiple heads, or a zillion presentations and documents.
Upon reflection, a glossary is a backbone tool for an entire company, its workforce, and its stakeholders. It leads to product nomenclature. It leads to patent and trademark IP. It leads to FAQs. It leads to quarterly and annual reports. It leads to speaking engagements, presentations, and collateral. It leads to a common understanding.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMON LANGUAGE
Another good friend Tim Ito and his writing partner Bob Wiltfong authored The BS Dictionary, Uncovering the Origins and True Meanings of Business Speak. The BS Dictionary has become the most rabbit-eared book on my shelf. These guys took on the task of business jargon, idioms, and cliches, with actual definitions, humorous intentions and commonly abused meanings.
If you were to take a BS Dictionary and incorporate it into an AI editing approach and tell it to remove all jargon, idioms, and cliches from corporate or executive language - you would be shocked at the redline factor. Note: It is high. Very high.
We, in America, love our slang, metaphors, analogies and jargon. It is learned from birth and carried on through our corporate lives. I take note of the legal profession. They have their own language rooted in Roman Law, and influenced by Medieval Latin, Norman French and Western legal systems over the millennia.
Legal, or commonly known as “legalese” is a challenge to read if you are not a lawyer or practice in deal terms and contracts. The irony is legal language is written for precision and clarity, formality and tradition, specificity and with authority and impersonality. Many documents include archaic language that has become commonplace in specific legal significance to boilerplates and or formulaic templates (e.g. - herein, heretofore).
BUILDING COMMON LANGUAGE
I will be the first to say, I love neologisms (the mashing up of two words into a new word that is unique and stands apart). The best example came from Southwest Airlines - “transfarency” - a neologism that combined “transparency + fares”. At the time, only Southwest Airlines practiced transparent fares and fees. A term that put the majors on defense. They couldn’t go there unless they changed their business model.
Not everyone agrees with or likes neologisms. And, I understand why. The need to stand apart and be different is best served by a common language. Normal words. Simple sentences. Straight talk. It removes complexity. It transcends the understanding gap.
As most people know, getting language to simple is very hard. Mark Twain’s famous quote, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead,” is usually where we find our company communication efforts. Overly complex and bloated, because it is really hard to get to simple.
One of the forcing factors I have institutionalized in my approach to designing strategic narratives is called “word economy” and I achieve that by using “narrative diagramming” to drive that point home. Can we say this in 7 words? How about 5? How about 3? How about one? Diagramming this out forces each word to have a reason for being in the sentence or term.
Building Common Language starts with word economy and glossary terminology. The ultimate goal is to get everyone living on the same page. The power of compounding becomes exponential when the entire company uses the same language.
NOW (How you are realizing this today)
Do you have a glossary?
Is it published and part of your company nomenclature?
Who owns the glossary in your company?
NEW (How you will realize this tomorrow)
Can you organize a cross-functional team to build a company glossary by Oct 1?
How will this impact your company language going forward?
Can you identify opportunities to refine or fine tune your FAQ for the entire company by the end of the year?
NEXT (I see a world in which)
I see a world in which building a common language will help improve our overall communication and understanding as a team, a company and as a society at large.
THE PAYOFF
“Language is the most massive and inclusive art we know, a mountainous and anonymous work of unconscious generations.” Edward Sapir
Follow me on LinkedIn. Or DM at tobin@spatialshift.com for more information.
If you seek to build a common language in your company, book a free consultation with me. Let's explore the possibilities. My work has raised a collective $1B+ for the companies I have worked with over the last 10 years.
Love this Tobin.
Brilliant.