From 鈥渂lue-sky thinking鈥� to 鈥渓ots of moving parts鈥�, there are many phrases used in the office that sometimes seem to make little sense in a work environment. These phrases are known as 鈥榳ork jargon鈥� 鈥� or you might hear it referred to as 鈥榗orporate jargon鈥�, 鈥榖usiness jargon鈥� or 鈥榤anagement speak鈥�. It鈥檚 a type of language generally used by a profession or group in the workplace, and has been created and evolved over time. And whether people use this work jargon to sound impressive or to disguise the fact that they are unsure about the subject they are talking about, it鈥檚 much simpler and clearer to use plain English. This will mean that more people understand what they are saying 鈥撎齜oth fluent and second-language English speakers.

The preference for鈥痯lain English鈥痵tems from the desire for communication to be clear and concise. This not only helps fluent English speakers to understand things better, but it also means that those learning English pick up a clearer vocabulary. This is particularly鈥痠mportant in business, where it鈥檚 important that all colleagues feel included as part of the team and can understand what is being said. This, in turn, helps every colleague feel equipped with the information they need to do their jobs better, in the language they choose to use.

Here, we explore some of the most common examples of English jargon at work that you might hear and suggest alternatives you can use鈥�

Blue-sky thinking

This refers to ideas that are not limited by current thinking or beliefs. It鈥檚 used to encourage people to be more creative with their thinking. The phrase could be confusing as co-workers may wonder why you鈥檙e discussing the sky in a business environment.

Instead of:鈥€淭his is a new client, so we want to see some blue-sky thinking.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭his is a new client, so don鈥檛 limit your creativity.鈥�

Helicopter view

This phrase is often used to mean a broad overview of the business. It comes from the idea of being a passenger in a helicopter and being able to see a bigger view of a city or landscape than if you were simply viewing it from the ground.听Second-language English speakers might take the phrase literally, and be puzzled as to why someone in the office is talking about taking a helicopter ride.

Instead of:鈥€淗ere鈥檚 a helicopter view of the business.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭his is a broad view of the business.鈥�

Get all your ducks in a row

This is nothing to do with actual ducks; it simply means to be organized. While we don鈥檛 exactly know the origin of this phrase, it probably stems from actual ducklings that walk in a neat row behind their parents.

Instead of:鈥€淭his is a busy time for the company, so make sure you get all your ducks in a row.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭his is a busy time for the company, so make sure you鈥檙e as organized as possible.鈥�

Thinking outside the box

Often used to encourage people to use novel or creative thinking. The phrase is commonly used when solving problems or thinking of a new concept. The idea is that, if you鈥檙e inside a box, you can only see those walls and that might block you from coming up with the best solution.

Instead of:鈥€淭he client is looking for something extra special, so try thinking outside the box.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭he client is looking for something extra special, so try thinking of something a bit different to the usual work we do for them.鈥�

IGUs (Income Generating Units)

A college principal alerted us to this one 鈥� it refers to his students. This is a classic example of jargon when many more words are used than necessary.

Instead of:鈥€淭his year, we have 300 new IGUs.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭his year, we have 300 new students.鈥�

Run it up the flagpole

Often followed by 鈥溾€nd see if it flies鈥� or 鈥溾€nd see if anyone salutes it鈥�, this phrase is a way of asking someone to suggest an idea and see what the reaction is.

Instead of:鈥€淚 love your idea, run it up the flagpole and see if it flies.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淚 love your idea, see what the others think about it.鈥�

Swim lane

A visual element 鈥� a bit like a flow chart 鈥撯€� that distinguishes a specific responsibility in a business organization. The name for a鈥痵wim lane鈥痙iagram comes from the fact that the information is broken up into different sections 鈥� or 鈥渓anes鈥� 鈥� a bit like in our picture above.

Instead of:鈥€淩efer to the swim lanes to find out what your responsibilities are.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淩efer to the diagram/chart to find out what your responsibilities are.鈥�

Bleeding edge

A way to describe something that is innovative or cutting edge. It tends to imply an even greater advancement of technology that is almost so clever that it is unbelievable in its current state.

Instead of:鈥€淭he new technology we have purchased is bleeding edge.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭he new technology we have purchased is innovative.鈥�

Tiger team

A tiger team is a group of experts brought together for a single project or event. They鈥檙e often assembled to assure management that everything is under control, and the term suggests strength.

Instead of:鈥€淭he tiger team will solve the problem.鈥濃€�

Try saying:鈥€淭he experts will solve the problem.鈥濃€�

Lots of moving parts

When a project is complicated, this phrase is sometimes used to indicate lots is going on.

Instead of:鈥€淭his project will run for several months and there are lots of moving parts to it.鈥�

Try saying:鈥€淭his project will run for several months and it will be complicated.鈥�

A paradigm shift

Technically, this is a valid way to describe changing how you do something and the model you use. The word 鈥減aradigm鈥� (pronounced 鈥減ara-dime鈥�) is an accepted way or pattern of doing something. So the 鈥渟hift鈥� part means that a possible new way has been discovered. Second-language English speakers however, might not be familiar with the meaning and might be confused about what it actually means.

Instead of:鈥€淭o solve this problem, we need a paradigm shift.鈥�

Try saying:鈥疶o solve this problem; we need to think differently.鈥�