THE ABCs OF CORPORATE JARGONCorporate jargon is something you’re going to encounter in almost every office around the world. Perhaps it will rear its ugly head as business lingo or management speak, but you can be sure of one thing: It’s …coming. Corporate jargon is out there and you never know when it’s going to strike, but there are steps you can take to defend yourself.
Today, we arm you with knowledge, the best defense there is against the rampant use of “execuspeak.” And while we can’t prepare you for every buzzword you’re going to encounter, we can teach you how to deal with some of the nastiest pieces of corporate jargon known to man.
Beware: Some of these make a lot of sense and some don’t seem to make sense at all. Some definitions will vary from person to person. Some vary by industry or location. Don’t lose your head as we trudge through the ABCs of corporate jargon.
Alignment: When people or teams can agree on something. Usually reserved for lunch orders.
Bandwidth: The ability to take on more work, or the total amount of work you can take on because you’re seen as a human modem.
Circle back: A synonym for “regroup.” And “reply.” And “request more info.” It does a lot.
Deliverable: A fancy word for the fruits of your labor, which is a fancy way of saying what your individual work produces. Typically something that can be delivered somewhere, but not always. You’d be surprised.
Echo: A polite way of saying, “That person stole what I was going to say.”
Read: 15 pieces of corporate jargon that drive you nuts
Flesh out: To add more substance or details to something. Does not involve removing one’s clothes.
Granular: The nitty-gritty as opposed to the big picture. Think inspecting a grain of sand vs. inspecting an entire beach.
High-level: The opposite of granular. Explaining the big and broad details that a five-year-old could understand, because those are the details higher-ups crave.
Incentivize: To motivate someone with the…See More