{"id":70324,"date":"2014-04-15T15:23:54","date_gmt":"2014-04-15T15:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/"},"modified":"2014-04-15T15:23:54","modified_gmt":"2014-04-15T15:23:54","slug":"jaded-by-jargon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaded by jargon"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a little confused. According to that font of online wisdom, entertainmentwise.com, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen looking \u201clovey-dovey and playful\u201d at Robert Downey Jr\u2019s 49th<\/sup> birthday party last weekend.
\n\u201cBut haven\u2019t they just split up?\u201d I asked aloud, squinting in bemusement at my computer screen. Then I remembered. No, they haven\u2019t \u201csplit up\u201d. At least, that\u2019s not what they\u2019re calling it.
\nConscious uncoupling. The phrase dangled in the air before me in all its macrobiotic beauty. At which point it struck me: poor old Chris and Gwyn are probably also a little confused. And no wonder. How are they supposed to know how to behave having just announced to the world that they\u2019ve \u201cconsciously uncoupled\u201d?
\nSurely if they just came out and said they were \u201cgetting divorced\u201d or \u201cseparating\u201d, they might have a better idea of how to conduct themselves in public.
\nBut the hazy, yogic jargon of \u201cconscious uncoupling\u201d creates uncertainty in a situation where it would be better for all involved (including me) if things were a little clearer.
\nHaving just emerged from editing several weighty annual reports<\/a>, in which words and phrases such as \u201cleveraging\u201d, \u201cgrowth drivers\u201d and \u201cdeliverables\u201d abound, I have to admit to feeling rather jaded by jargon in all its myriad forms. True, at least \u201cconscious uncoupling\u201d is original (so original, in fact, no one really knows what it means) \u2013 but c\u2019mon, folks; how about we just tell it how it is?
\nBecause jargon creates doubt and distrust. In corporate communications, those reports and articles that reject plain English sow seeds of uncertainty in the minds of readers. When multinational companies use fancy corporate jargon to discuss their financial performance, shareholders must wonder what they\u2019re trying to hide. When MPs resort to sound-bites and rhetoric, political apathy deepens. And when Christopher and Gwyneth describe their separation as \u201cconscious uncoupling\u201d, people quite rightly harangue them for talking total twaddle.
\nClarity, on the other hand, leads to credibility. It was with this truism in mind that the UK Government last year announced a moratorium on civil service jargon. In a move designed to rid the civil service of the kind of baffling phrases that kept the writers of The Thick of It in business, the Government banned more than 30 items of jargon from official announcements and communications.
\nAcross Whitehall, the verbs \u201cto foster\u201d, \u201cdrive\u201d and \u201cdeliver\u201d can now only be used in their original sense (i.e. to raise children that are not your own, to operate a motor vehicle, and to bring and hand over a parcel or goods, respectively). And a \u201ckey\u201d, so often misused as an adjectival prefix to denote importance (\u201ca key objective\u201d), is now only to be used when referring to a piece of metal you stick in a lock.
\nAlthough it will take years to simplify the tangled lexicon of power, it\u2019s a start at least. The same approach now needs to be applied to all industries and sectors if we are to rid the world of jargon and create clear and compelling communications<\/a> that simply tell it how it is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m a little confused. According to that font of online wisdom, entertainmentwise.com, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen looking \u201clovey-dovey and playful\u201d at Robert Downey Jr\u2019s 49th birthday party last weekend. \u201cBut haven\u2019t they just split up?\u201d I asked aloud, squinting in bemusement at my computer screen. Then I remembered. No, they haven\u2019t \u201csplit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[324,314,320],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-annual-report-writing-us","category-copywriting-us","category-report-writing-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJaded by jargon - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jaded by jargon - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I\u2019m a little confused. According to that font of online wisdom, entertainmentwise.com, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen looking \u201clovey-dovey and playful\u201d at Robert Downey Jr\u2019s 49th birthday party last weekend. \u201cBut haven\u2019t they just split up?\u201d I asked aloud, squinting in bemusement at my computer screen. Then I remembered. No, they haven\u2019t \u201csplit […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-04-15T15:23:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/stratton-craig-share.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Stratton Craig\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Stratton Craig\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Stratton Craig\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e1a5300b8954ddf765b2a201f88e90b\"},\"headline\":\"Jaded by jargon\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-15T15:23:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":528,\"articleSection\":[\"Annual report writing\",\"Copywriting\",\"Report writing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"us-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Jaded by jargon - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-04-15T15:23:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e1a5300b8954ddf765b2a201f88e90b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"us-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/jaded-by-jargon\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Jaded by jargon\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/\",\"name\":\"Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency\",\"description\":\"Written Communication\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"us-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5e1a5300b8954ddf765b2a201f88e90b\",\"name\":\"Stratton Craig\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"us-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f223aed3fe97fd5e2dc17a9a2aca217e0a922a2671c4026e23049bb6ebfade15?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f223aed3fe97fd5e2dc17a9a2aca217e0a922a2671c4026e23049bb6ebfade15?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f223aed3fe97fd5e2dc17a9a2aca217e0a922a2671c4026e23049bb6ebfade15?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Stratton Craig\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.strattoncraig.com\\\/us\\\/insight\\\/author\\\/stratton-craig\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Jaded by jargon - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Jaded by jargon - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency","og_description":"I\u2019m a little confused. According to that font of online wisdom, entertainmentwise.com, Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen looking \u201clovey-dovey and playful\u201d at Robert Downey Jr\u2019s 49th birthday party last weekend. \u201cBut haven\u2019t they just split up?\u201d I asked aloud, squinting in bemusement at my computer screen. Then I remembered. No, they haven\u2019t \u201csplit […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/","og_site_name":"Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency","article_published_time":"2014-04-15T15:23:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/stratton-craig-share.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Stratton Craig","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Stratton Craig","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/"},"author":{"name":"Stratton Craig","@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/5e1a5300b8954ddf765b2a201f88e90b"},"headline":"Jaded by jargon","datePublished":"2014-04-15T15:23:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/"},"wordCount":528,"articleSection":["Annual report writing","Copywriting","Report writing"],"inLanguage":"us-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/","url":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/","name":"Jaded by jargon - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-04-15T15:23:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/5e1a5300b8954ddf765b2a201f88e90b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"us-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/jaded-by-jargon\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Jaded by jargon"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/","name":"Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Strategy Agency","description":"Written Communication","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"us-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/5e1a5300b8954ddf765b2a201f88e90b","name":"Stratton Craig","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"us-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f223aed3fe97fd5e2dc17a9a2aca217e0a922a2671c4026e23049bb6ebfade15?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f223aed3fe97fd5e2dc17a9a2aca217e0a922a2671c4026e23049bb6ebfade15?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f223aed3fe97fd5e2dc17a9a2aca217e0a922a2671c4026e23049bb6ebfade15?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Stratton Craig"},"url":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/author\/stratton-craig\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70324\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}