This magazine recently carried a story concerning a survey that discovered a communications gap between IT managers and senior business executives. Cue ironic laughter. But even funnier was the proposed solution – put more managers with business experience into the IT department!
Of course, this isn't a new subject. And articles addressing it usually end up calling for more business training of IT managers or IT training for businessmen – I've even been guilty myself of bemoaning the lack of IT awareness in boardrooms.
But the point that this latest survey misses is that jargon is there for a reason. Lawyers use legalese so that only other lawyers will understand, and lay people won't get confused by the vagaries of their grammar or punctuation. Doctors are similarly well versed in the benefit of talking in terms their patients can't understand.
Jargon is necessary shorthand for many occupations. It helps to ensure clear and unambiguous communications between people familiar with the subject. Trying to specify and implement a voice-over-IP (VoIP) system isn't going to be easy if you don't know what SIP or TCP/IP refer to ("We just want one of those cheap internet phone thingies, please").
However, I admit that I hate the use of jargon to obfuscate, particularly the kind of mumbo-jumbo pseudo-technical marketing jargon used to deliberately baffle senior execs and techies alike. A good rule of thumb is that if it can't be explained simply (even with some real jargon), it probably doesn't do a lot. Much IT jargon is quite simple to explain, given some patience.
Despite this, we've all probably used jargon at some time to try and impress people, or cover up a lack of knowledge. And that's not excusable. Perhaps what these surveys are hinting at is that some IT managers themselves don't really understand the jargon, and so can't give a broadly simple explanation when put on the spot. Or they understand it but can't communicate it to a non-techie.
Neither of these possibilities is a real sin. They are both fairly easily rectified. But the pressure to not look dumb is always there, and buzzwords are an easy way out. Perhaps we just need to stop pretending that with a bit of effort we can all understand everything.
The ancient Greeks may have thought they were pretty close to omniscience, but even Aristotle eventually had to admit that "Why is the sky blue?" is a valid question. Asking, "What is VoIP?" is just as valid, and we should be prepared with a jargon-free answer or honestly admit our ignorance.
