Client Newsletter - Cutting out the jargon

Welcome to Skillfair's client newsletter. You've received this email because you're registered to receive our client newsletter, with ideas and information helping you find the best consultancy and specialist advice.

Over the last few weeks I've been suggesting to consultants that they need to take a long, hard look at the language they use when responding to clients, and try to cut out some of the unnecessary jargon. While using the right words for a particular skill or method is important the question of whether someone is a 'coach' or a 'mentor' seems to cloud the issue of whether they're the right person for a particular project.

I have to confess that the same applies to clients - we are seeing an increasing number of projects where the language doesn't make much sense. The word are all fine, it's the combinations that are confusing. My particular favourite is a tender we've just posted for 'Fizzbook spin' - apparently that's a laptop designed for use by children!

More seriously, whether you're posting a project on Skillfair or writing a traditional job advert making sure that the requirements of the role are clear and providing plenty of detail is essential. It helps you to work out what you really want and helps applicants to assess whether it's really worth applying. For some great examples of how to write clear and not-so-clear English, have a look at the Plain English Campaign's Website.

If you're looking for consultancy, freelance or interim help and you're not sure how best to word your requirements then feel free to email or call us.

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