Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Nonprofit leaders have engaged in a movement to simplify the language that charities use to describe their mission or goals. According to the leaders, many charities use language that does not make sense to the individuals who they are trying most to reach---those who need and can benefit from the charities' services. The Chronicle of Philanthropy published an article that highlights the 'rebellion' that is ensuing as a result of the excessive jargon used by nonprofit leaders.

Many leaders are now going out of their way to promote plain talk. They feel that jargon often gets in the way of the message. In many cases, the organization has a very laudable goal or message, but the jargon prevents individuals outside of the organization from understanding the message or the issue. Also, some nonprofit leaders feel that the use of jargon can give the impression that the person using the jargon is an elitist or thinks he or she is intellectually superior to other people.

In the Philanthropy article, Gerard Broaud, a communications consultant and former television reporter, states that jargon is sometimes used because organizations "don't want to hurt the feelings of the people they're trying to help, so they end up inventing words that aren't just hard to understand but don't really mean anything."

As a result, words and phrases such as "situational awareness," "barriers to employment," "sustainability," and "reducing disparities" are used instead of simpler phrases that would more adequately describe what the organization does or what issue they are attempting to address.

However, even though more nonprofit leaders are aware of the need to reduce jargon, they still face resistance.