Comments on: Why You May Not Be Smarter than a 5th Grader

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:24:29 +0000

Karen,

Really? It surprises me to hear this.

I thought people loved being talked to in complicated jargon, that thought that recipients of communication relished the idea of being talked to in a condescending manner, and that people in general looked down upon any form of communication that they could actually understand.

More seriously, I think that you are spot on – and communication which is littered with jargon should be reserved solely for any occasions when we are dealing with robots and not real people.

Real language for real people.
.-= Andrew´s last blog ..One wage rise which should definately be opposed =-.

By: Karen Swim

Karen Swim — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:58:07 +0000

Hi Brad, I know that I can be guilty of over complicating in my very “adult” way. Kids remind us of the simplicity of communication. It was a head thunk moment for sure. Of course one could also say that I relate to kids so well because I’m a big old kid at heart.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:11:07 +0000

Hi Karen, I love this post because your 5th grader analogy makes the point so perfectly and so powerfully. If you're trying to explain what you do to the general public, you should use general English. If you're talking to a group of experts, I suppose jargon is OK, but in all cases you need to be aware of the difference. .-= Brad Shorr´s last blog ..The Branding Power of Search Engine Optimization =-.