Business Jargon

Warm Up

1. What are 5 words you use in business?

2. Do you have a favorite English phrase? What is it?

3. What is your job?
   

Reading

Jargon is special language used among specific groups of people and business jargon is used in offices around the world. However, it can be difficult to understand it all.

Here are the five most difficult expressions of business jargon in the US and some examples of how they might be used.

Boiling the Ocean:

Nobody can boil the ocean, because there's too much water in it. So this expression means to try to do something impossible, or to make something more difficult than it needs to be.

For example: "Let's not boil the ocean by starting over from scratch. Let's make some changes do it slowly over a few months."

Herding cats:

"To herd" means to make a group of animals move together. It's easy to do with sheep or cows, but impossible with cats. This expression is used to say how difficult it is to organize people. For example: "Getting everyone to agree on a meeting time is like herding cats."

Ducks in a row:

Have you ever seen baby ducks follow their mother? They follow in a straight line. This expression means to be organized and ready for something. For example: "I've invited everyone to the meeting, prepared all the documents, and made a list of things to discuss. I think I have all my ducks in a row!"

Move the needle:

A needle on a gauge moves to show us when something changes. So this expression means to make a change that can be seen. For example: "Let's hope our new idea moves the needle on sales!"

Run it up the flagpole:

If you put a flag high up on a pole, people will see it and react to it. So this expression means to suggest an idea to people and see what they think of it.

For example: "Let's run this idea up the flagpole and see what our team thinks."

Reading Comprehension

1. What does "hearding cats" mean?

2. What is jargon?

3. What country is the jargon from?

Discussion Questions

1. Have you come across any of the expressions in the article before?

2. Do you ever need to use English at work? If so, how often?

3. Who is usually the first person you run your ideas by at work?

4. Do you prefer face-to-face communication, phone calls, or emails? Why?

5. Would you say that miscommunication is a big issue at your place of work?

6. Do you get along well with most of your coworkers?

7. Are there many foreigners at your place of work? Do they speak your language?

8. How often do you get a chance to talk to native English speakers?

9. Are there any parts of your job that you find stressful or annoying?

10. Jargon is the enemy of clear and effective communication. — Alan Siegel. What do you make of this statement?