Buzzwords 201- Inventing New Words

In our last edition of Buzzword training, we discussed the type of Buzzer that misuses words in order to elevate their status above your own.

Today, we'll discuss a whole new level of Buzzers. These Buzzers set themselves apart as the elite in Buzzing. They make-up words with the goal of sounding incredibly creative and innovative. It's all about "streamlining", being highly efficient and promoting synergies.

Translation: A Buzzer that makes up a new word is combining at least two words in an attempt to be superbly brief, almost to the point of acronym-speak, and sound very creative.

To further demonstrate my theory, I suggest you get a hold of CBS's How I Met Your Mother Season 4.  You're looking for Episode 14, the Possimpible.  I can't find the video online anymore, but Barney's Video Resume summarizes almost everything I might have to say in the lifetime of this blog.  Wikipedia has a short description here.  It's so utterly ridiculous, yet everyday in business, more and more people are making up words that don't mean anything. I'll start with a short list of the top 5 words I've heard in the past year:

1. Grotate- To grow as an employee while you rotate to a new position. This was thrown out during a meeting about a logo design.

2. Learnbounce- Indicating what an individual learns from reading/studying an object. This was thrown out in the same meeting as Grotate was.

3. Deliverables- The goal or task that an individual must complete. This one is so far entrenched in business vocabulary it might actually make its way into Websters, like "ain't" did. I use it all the time (wince), but when I said this word to a high-school student, they just looked at me blankly. What is a deliverable?

4. Edutainment- Something that educates while entertaining. I heard this during an agency presentation. It wasn't a very good presentation, but it sounded Innovative.

5. Heavy(-)up- I've seen this as one word and a linked word. It means to increase. I heard this first used in the same meeting as edutainment.

What strikes me about all of these words is the inability to just say what you mean in a clear, concise way. Do it like Ernest Hemingway and use short, clear sentences. It promotes effective communication.

Then again, these days, rhetoric is sexier than clear speech. For example, look at the presidential race in 2007. This race was marked by its ability to utilize rhetoric over clear stances on issues, and American's ate it up.

It's hard to be sure if businesses are looking for clear speech and "do-er's" in upper management. From what I can tell, it's a pretty mixed bag.  You've got a lot of really worthy people moving to the top, with reputations for being do-er's.  But then you have a lot of people who tend to live out their Buzzer speech in their work. 

At the end of the day remember- to survive the jungle, you have to be quick on your feet with a Buzzer of any level.  Either out-buzz them or politely poke fun at them.