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Business Communication: Buzzwords

Name

Department, Institution

Course

Instructor

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Business Communication: Buzzwords

I think business leaders are accustomed to using buzzwords to appear smart. As such, the

main reason why business leaders use words that are difficult to understand is to impress the

audience and earn respect as someone with a commanding knowledge about the subject being

discussed (Cluley, 2013). Buzzwords are also used by business leaders to hide their ineptitude.

Their confusing nature ensures that the audience does not understand what is being said and, in

the process, fails to question the knowledge of the speaker. This way, a crisis is averted and the

concerned speaker leaves the podium with their dignity and self-esteem intact. The other reason

for using buzzwords is because they are shorter hence making communication easy, this is

however true for people who know each other hence know the shortened words (Cluley, 2013).

Buzzwords also make communication simple by linking complex concepts with commonly used

objects and terms such as boxes and fruits. Business leaders may therefore use them to simplify

their communication with the junior staff especially when there is a huge disparity between their

levels of education.

However, while buzzwords may make simplify communication, the bridge education gap

between speakers, and help preserve the dignity and respect of business leaders, they can lead to

miscommunication. This is because of two reasons. First, buzzwords change with time hence

words that are spoken by the older people may not be understood or misunderstood by the young

generation. Secondly, some buzzwords are specific regions, cultures, races, and gender

(Schnable, 2021). This can lead to miscommunication where speakers belong to different social

classes. Due to the high risk of miscommunication presented by the use of buzzwords, their use

should be avoided completely. This can be done by speaking simply using simple universal
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terms that can be understood by everyone including those who belong to different cultures,

nationalities, races, and generations (Silveira, 2021).

The other way to avoid using buzzwords is to offer more information if you cannot resist

the use of difficult words. Offering more information ensures that the audience understands the

content and context of the conversation. Secondly, buzzwords can be avoided by offering

examples where the audience may have difficulty understanding. This is particularly useful

where different nationalities or cultures are involved (Silveira, 2021). Giving an example of the

objects used in a buzzword from one culture with an alternative in the other culture promotes

understanding and ensures that cultural differences do not hamper communication.

The video on ‘the worst presentation in the world’ is an important source of information

on what not to do in communication. The first lesson is to avoid the use of non-essential words

because they make the message too bulky and lose its meaning in the process. The second lesson

is to avoid centering the message on the speaker by making it all about himself. The third lesson

is engaging the audience whenever a presentation is being made.

After watching the video, I intend to alter my communication by first and foremost,

avoiding the use of buzzwords in all their forms. Secondly, I will adopt your approach in my

communication by emphasizing my audience's needs rather than my needs. Third, I will attempt

to be as persuasive as possible in my communication by appealing to my audience's logic, ethics,

and mood. Third, I will strive to be clear by avoiding the buzzwords and most importantly

arranging my thought in the clearest way possible from the known to the unknown. Finally, I

intend to focus on engaging the audience by maintaining eye contact and pausing once in a while

to give them time to digest the information that I am passing across.

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References

Cluley, R. (2013). What makes a management buzzword buzz? Organization Studies, 34(1), 33-

43.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Cluley/publication/270726363_What_Makes

_a_Management_Buzzword_Buzz/links/55b8fd6608ae092e965b06fc/What-Makes-a-

Management-Buzzword-Buzz.pdf

Schnable, A., DeMattee, A., Sullivan Robinson, R., & Brass, J. N. (2021). International

development buzzwords: Understanding their use among donors, NGOs, and

academics. The Journal of Development Studies, 57(1), 26-44.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2020.1790532

Silveira Jr, A. S. (2021). Your Choice of Words Matters. In Building and Managing High-

Performance Distributed Teams (pp. 139-153). Apress, Berkeley, CA. doi:

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-7055-4_12