Speak Your Customers’ Language

Vertebrae

As professionals, we often spend a lot of time talking to people within our industry. Naturally, we use phrases that mean something to both of us. In my case, I often end up using publishing/design speak: what’s the bleed on that? Glossy or matte finish? Two- or four-color? These terms mean something to me, the speaker, and the designer or printer I’m working with.

We run into trouble, though, when we assume that our customers speak our same language. I was haunting a few chiropractic blogs recently, and I ran across the following phrase, “…wherever there’s a musculoskeletal system, just as in the human body, there’s the likelihood of musculoskeleton dysfunction…” If you’re a chiropractor or a regular chiropractic patient, you may be nodding your head in agreement. But what if you’re not?

In my college journalism class, I learned that the average American reads on a junior high level (seventh or eighth grade). I imagine that most junior high students would trip over phrases like “musculoskeletal dysfunction,” if they don’t just skip it altogether. Either way, you’re losing a reader and a potential customer.

Chiropractors are certainly not alone in hiding their message behind their terminology. Jargon is something all communicators need to be wary of. So how do you go about minimizing the jargon in your writing?

• Write it as if you were talking to a brand new customer. “Wherever you have two items working together for one goal, you have the chance for things to get out of whack. When the out-of-whack items are your muscles and bones, you feel pain.”

• Use analogies. A common one for explaining herniated discs, for example, involves squeezing a balloon. A balloon is something just about everyone is familiar with and can visualize, while not everyone is familiar with spinal anatomy.

• Systematically simplify. Have a step in your content approval process where you go through and highlight words that are more than three syllables. Or maybe you’re looking for sentences longer than 15 words. Make a conscious effort to simplify.

• Remember your audience! If you’re writing a piece for colleagues, then jargon is probably just fine. But if you’re creating a customer-oriented piece, keep in mind that your customers don’t have your knowledge. That’s why they’re coming to you!