Visited a new tech hub in Raleigh and saw something odd about how people talk

I was at a big tech hub in Raleigh last week for a meeting about some new business software. I sat in the common area for about an hour and listened to people talk about their jobs. Almost every single conversation was filled with big, fancy words that made simple ideas sound complex. One person spent five minutes saying they were 'building a framework to optimize cross-functional synergy' when they just meant 'getting teams to work together better'. It felt like a contest to sound the smartest, not to be the clearest. Has anyone else worked in a place where this kind of talk is the norm, and how do you deal with it without sounding like you're not part of the group?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantc808d ago

I was at a tech meetup in Austin last year and heard the same thing. A guy said he was "orchestrating a paradigm shift in user engagement" instead of "trying a new way to get people to click." It's not about being smart, it's about hiding that you might not have a clear idea. I just ask "what does that mean in plain English?" It usually makes them pause.

the_mary8d ago

Love that you call them out with the plain English question. I've noticed the same people often get defensive and start using even more jargon, which just proves your point. It's like they're building a wall of words to keep anyone from seeing there's nothing solid behind it. The real experts can explain their ideas to a five year old.

xenam848d ago

Exactly what grantc80 described happens all the time. That wall of jargon just shows they can't explain the simple idea at the core. Real understanding means you can break it down for anyone.