Jargon uncovers personality types

The use of jargon, especially in written documents, is the sign of a person who is prone to stress, according to chartered psychologist Dr Stephen Palmer, director of the Centre for Stress Management.

"The use of jargon is most common in people with, what is termed, a Type A personality," Palmer explains. "The type A person is a quick thinker.

However they can be anxiety-driven and sometimes come across in an abrupt manner ... this type of personality is prone to stress."

Since the IT industry is somewhat prone to incomprehensible documents littered with buzzwords, it is interesting to note that Palmer also believes that "Companies too can demonstrate 'Type A' traits." He continues: "Using jargon is permissible when communicating within a specialist group, such as lawyers. However, frequently the audience will come from all types of background. To avoid this the writer must put him or herself in the reader's shoes and ask 'would I understand this?'"

Palmer says that at the 'other end of the scale' there are Type B personalities, who are just as productive but less aggressive and calmer than their Type A colleagues. "They will be more likely to avoid jargon and are usually more in tune with others," he says. Keep communication simple, seems to be best practice.

The Financial Times and the Management Consultancies Association hold the annual National Jargon Awards, designed to reveal the worst offenders who use unnecessary, complex or simply confusing language in a written document. Sales literature and internal reports are apparently fertile ground for nominations, which are generated from FT readers' in-trays.

This year's first place was a three-way tie between two consultants and (you guessed it) a software developer: Arthur D Little, PolyDoc and Manhattan Associates. Below are some brief extracts from the three winning entries.

Here are some classic examples

In a footnote to a Manhattan Associates press release:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements relating to Manhattan Associates Inc And Richter Systems Inc. Among the important factors that cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements ...

From Production lines for knowledge factories, a paper from Dutch firm PolyDoc came these words: To understand the entire process in sufficient depth, PolyDoc analyses each single action or event as related structures within the architecture ... each action contributes to a part of the macro-functional as well as the macro-propositional (=content) model of the holistic process.

From Towards Sustainable Innovation: a progress report, by Arthur D Little:

The key findings from our recent research can be clustered around what we have identified as six critical pathways to accelerated and sustainable high-value innovation and product/technology leadership ... Pathway 5.

Developing a highly charged yet fluid and networked organisation - harnessing, driving and nurturing the inherent ambiguity and complexity of innovation.

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