The Relationship Between Jargon and Credibility

Fifteen years ago, I worked for a particularly bad manager. Call her Dorothy here. She would consistently arrive late at client meetings. Dorothy once left a voicemail for a distraught client and lied about the time at which she called. She inexplicably forgot that voicemails are time-stamped by default, irritating her main client further. (My client soon had Dorothy removed from our project—and I would have done the same thing.)

Among Dorothy’s most egregious deeds, however, was her consistent and unnecessary use of jargon. I would see the looks on our clients’ faces when she would speak. She would condescend. She would talk “at” and “around” her audience, not to it. Big mistake. Dorothy soon took maternity leave and eventually left the company.