Stop with the Jargon
Have you ever been to a hospital? Or watched ER, for that matter. When doctors and nurses talk to each other about their cases, they start spouting off these phrases that I won’t ever understand (nor do I really want to).
The local PCT advise the CPA when passing ADHD clients with PTSD to CPN’s from the CMHT.
Yeah, I really don’t care what that means. As long as they’re getting their job done, go for it. But if they need to talk to me about that sentence, they had better not expect me to understand it in those terms. They need to relate to me. Speak MY language.
So why do so many of us web folks start swinging around these stupid acronyms when talking with clients?
Once the XHTML and CSS are finished, we can PHP and MySQL the back end and then add AJAX for speed. Or would RoR be better?
Clients don’t care. Unless they specifically bring up a technology, don’t bore them with jargon. Relate to them. Use terms like ‘Interface’, and ‘Functionality,’ words they can grab ahold of and bring back to their supervisors. They need to understand the scope and deliverables of a project, not the technology used.
Sure, there may be some technical requirements for a project, but get those out of the way in the beginning, and don’t speak of them again. At a hospital, would you rather hear a bunch of letters spouted off at you, or a simple ‘We’ll do everything we can to help you.’?
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Published November 02, 2005 by:
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Yes, but don’t forget that the term AJAX was coined for exactly that reason – to describe a technology in simple, catchy terms so the client can understand it.
November 2nd, 2005
I was recently in the hospital for surgery and had to deal with the jargon from multiple nurses and admins, forced to repeatedly ask for clarification throughout my stay.
Being a web geek and talking to clients in a foreign language is one thing, but when you’re communicating with sick and/or scared people, the hospital tech-talk is highly impersonal and in poor taste, given the circumstances.
November 2nd, 2005
Ryan: I understand the term was used to describe a technology, but it should still be used with caution. Many clients don’t even want to care about how we get things done, as long as they work. Now, that said, it is our job to make sure that quality and standards are followed, so the acronyms amongst the industry are a good thing. Just don’t try and make your client understand the tech stuff. They should be focused on message, content, and concepts.
Geof: Of course I’m not trying to make a direct metaphor to the two situations. That would likely be insensitive. I’m just trying to relate the frustration of being expected to ‘just get’ what someone is talking about when you’re not in their industry. I hope your recovery is going well.
November 2nd, 2005
Good point. I always try to avoid techno babble jargon when speaking to clients. Unless of course the client understands it – in that case using “dumbed down” terminology could offend them.
November 2nd, 2005
Steve, I don’t think I’ve ever said “PHP and MySQL the backend” lol. But your point is well taken :)
November 2nd, 2005
Try working for the military, everything – literaly everything is acronyms.
November 2nd, 2005
Almost always when dealing with a new client they start early asking me deep tech questions, and almost always I say “It’s really complex, if you really want to know I’m happy to tell you, otherwise, it’s really not worth it to you.” And almost always they say “No thanks, you’re right, I don’t even want to know”.
November 2nd, 2005
I totally agree but I will admit in the last few months I lost out on a contract because they felt another group was ‘better qualified’ due mostly to the fact that they drop a LOT of big words and acronyms. It is frustrating but in the end I figure they wouldn’t have worked well with me anyway.
November 2nd, 2005
Just because your HDL to LDL ratio is not optimal to prevent athrosclerosis and a possible thromboembolic event doesn’t mean you need to stop taking your web standards of CSS and AJAX to a higher level. Heck, PHP might be the solution to CAD and COPD.
In other words, from a medical professional who has dabbled in web design, I complete agree with your post. It is just a matter of understand what level the client/patient is at and talking to them at their level, not yours.
November 2nd, 2005
I worked in the aircraft industry for years, and literally never learned what certain initialisms stood for. We knew what things we were talking about, but the actual words were never used. We would have occasional arguments over plausible alternatives.
November 2nd, 2005
Great point, avoiding jargon and relating to the client is always better. I work in a Financial development department. The business side as it’s own jargon I had to learn. Some of their jargonous words are the same as ours but have different meanings, talk about confusing!
November 3rd, 2005
Steve,
Oh I didn’t take offense at all – perhaps the tone of my post came across wrong. I’m on your side :)
November 4th, 2005
Steve, great post. As a pastor, I can relate to that as well. The folks at FHBC don’t want to know if a particular Greek verb is a constative aorist, or if Revelation is a sample of apocalyptic genre which has its roots in intertestamenal and pseudepigraphic works as 1 Enoch, 2 Baruch, and 4 Esdras (= 2 Ezra). What they DO want to know is what God has to say that will help them live a better Christian life, and which will help them in their striving to be part of a healthy, thriving Christian community. Greek verb tenses and literary genres are vital to proper biblical exegesis, of course – but, as one of my Seminary professors used to say, “If folks come over for dinner, don’t give them a guided tour of the kitchen and a dissertation on your recipes – just serve them a good meal, which is what they came hungry for.” As someone who spends a lot of time around computer people, I really appreciate the ones who “keep it simple.”
November 5th, 2005
this is so completely true. finally someone said it ! MY LANGUAGE expletive !
November 12th, 2005