If you have no idea what I mean by “Are you being too cheugy if you constantly mention your wheelhouse”, then you are probably older than a Gen Z. “Cheugy” (pronounced chew-gee) started to be used a decade or so ago and means you are trying too hard to be trendy. It’s the kind of comment you might see when a Millennial posts something on social media that is intended to make them appear “down with the kids”. However, “your wheelhouse” is much older, dating back to the mid-19th Century, and is meant to suggest something at which you are skilled or excel. But it has seen a recent resurgence in use.
Having not heard it for many years, suddenly, in the past week, three different people have told me that something was “not in their wheelhouse”. Why couldn’t they simply say that what they were being asked to do was something they were not good at doing? Equally, why can’t a teenager say to me, “you’re trying to be trendy” rather than telling me I am “cheugy”?
Last night, my wife and I were having dinner with my son and a few of his mates, and we got onto the topic of people not saying what they mean. All of these young men moaned about the language their bosses used. “What do they really mean when they say they are ‘doubling down’ on something?” asked one. Another said, “Where are they going when they ‘circle back’ on things?” They have only been in the corporate world for a few years since finishing university, and these youngsters are already fed up with business jargon.
Whether you are a Gen Z individual saying “cheugy” when you mean “you’re trying too hard to be trendy”, or a Millennial manager saying “move the needle” when you mean “make a noticeable change”, clarity of communication is clearly not your strong point.
I remember a doctor saying to me once that I had “acute nasopharyngitis”. That sounds dreadful. It’s “acute”, which sounds like some kind of emergency. And the “itis” means something dramatic, like “appendicitis”. I thought I was in danger until the doc explained that this is the medical term for “a cold”. Medics are great at using words that make things sound more complex and help them seem even more clever. New research, though, shows this is a real problem. The Chicago-based study found that people misunderstand what doctors say to them in the Emergency Room. It is so bad that the study’s authors say it “can lead to safety issues, including misunderstandings, errors, and non-adherence to discharge plans”.
One reason people use jargon is to separate themselves from others, to demonstrate that they are using language that is superior or different in some way. Doctors and scientists do it all the time. However, researchers in Germany have recently discovered that when scientists make things simpler, they actually increase their integrity. The study also found that when jargon is used, it only makes the scientist seem more credible when the listener’s processing fluency is high. Jargon only makes you sound smart if the other person already understands it. If they don’t, you sound confusing and less credible.
Interestingly, another recent study investigated jargon and processing fluency. The researchers in Florida found that when bosses use jargon, it reduces listeners’ processing fluency. Plus, it decreases self-efficacy. That means when bosses use jargon, it makes their staff less capable of understanding and makes them feel more concerned about their own abilities. Is it any wonder that so many leaders need to ‘pivot’ and ‘ideate’ just to ‘move the needle’? Perhaps after a ‘mind meld’ to ‘close the loop’ before they ‘circle back’ to check their ‘alignment’? No, me neither.
This month’s Harvard Business Review asks business leaders to take up the challenge to rid their firms of needless jargon. Apparently, jargon is “hurting your strategy” because there are several barriers to understanding “clever” words. Cultural differences and lack of context are key. Thankfully, the Harvard author suggests actions you can take to limit jargon use. One of these is as old as human communication itself. Create pictures in your listener’s mind. Every storyteller does this. They think in terms of illustrating what they are saying before they consider the words.
Using words that do not convey what you really mean can lead to significant misunderstandings. So, next time you are tempted to ask people to ‘circle back’ or tell them they are ‘cheugy’, take a breath. Pause, and create a clear picture in their mind of what you really want them to think, understand, and do. Jargon is rarely about clarity. It’s usually about status, insecurity, or control. Clarity is not just professional; it’s a competitive advantage.
