Your Personal Jargon Audit

You use language at work every day — but how much of it actually communicates, and how much is armour?

Name the tension

Think of one real work situation where you felt pressure to use impressive language rather than plain language. Write two sentences describing it.

What was truly at stake?

In that situation, what were you actually protecting — your credibility, your job, a relationship, or something else? Name it honestly.

Sort the forces

Sort these pressures into the two zones: which pushed you TOWARD jargon, which pulled you TOWARD plain language?

Toward Jargon

Toward Plain Language

How urgent was it, really?

Mark where your situation falls on this spectrum. Be honest — was the pressure real, or was it mostly in your head?

Pure performance anxiety

Genuine professional necessity

The obvious answer

What would most people in your industry tell you to do in that situation? Write the conventional wisdom in one sentence.

Attack it

Now look back at step 3 — does the obvious answer from step 5 ignore any of those forces? What does it cost or conceal?

The hidden trade-off

Write one word that names what you are actually giving up every time you reach for jargon instead of plain language. Then write one sentence explaining why that word, and not something else.

Why that word?

Discuss Share your word from step 7 with a partner — do they agree it's the real cost?

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