How to Simplify Technical Jargon

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀? I sure have. As a Solutions Consultant, it's easy to slip into jargon-filled explanations. But here's the thing: most clients don't speak 'tech'. So, I've been working on translating our solutions into everyday language. Here's what I've learned: Instead of: "We need to optimize your document workflows." Try: "Let's make finding and using your files quicker and easier." Rather than: "Implementing metadata tagging for retrieval." Say: "We'll add labels to your files so you can find them in seconds." Skip: "The system provides OCR functionality." Go with: "Our tool can read and search text in images and scanned documents." Avoid: "Ensure compliance with regulatory standards." Use: "We'll help you follow all the rules and stay out of trouble." Don't say: "Integrate cloud-based storage solutions." Instead: "Store your files online so you can access them from anywhere." Replace: "Facilitating automated approval processes." With: "Set up automatic sign-offs to speed up your work." Swap: "Enhance document version control." For: "Keep track of changes and always work on the latest version." Instead of: "Ensure a robust disaster recovery plan." Try: "We'll make sure your files are safe, even if something goes wrong." Rather than: "Improve user access permissions." Say: "Control who can see and edit your documents." Skip: "Streamline archiving and retention policies." Go with: "Organize your old files and decide what to keep or delete." It's amazing how much clearer things become when we drop the fancy words. What's your experience with tech talk? Any funny misunderstandings? Share your stories - let's learn from each other! My name is Halid Ayob, I'm passionate about helping professionals optimize their work with digital tools like DocuWare. If this story resonates with you, give it a repost and follow me for more insights. #Digitalization #TechJargons #Optimize #BrandBuilderTalents

No one is waking up at 7am, sipping coffee, thinking, “Wow, I really hope someone explains holistic wealth architecture today.” People want clarity. They want content that feels like a conversation, not a lecture. They want to understand what you’re saying the first time they read it. Write like you're talking to a real person. Not trying to win a Pulitzer. - Use short sentences. - Cut the jargon. - Sound like someone they’d trust with their money, not someone who spends weekends writing whitepapers for fun. Confused clients don’t ask for clarification. They move on. Here’s how to make your content clearer: 1. Ask yourself: Would my mom understand this? If the answer is “probably not,” simplify it until she would. No shade to your mom, she’s just a great clarity filter. 2. Use the “friend test.” Read it out loud. If it sounds weird or overly stiff, imagine explaining it to a friend at lunch. Rewrite it like that. 3. Replace jargon with real words. Say “retirement income you won’t outlive” instead of “longevity risk mitigation strategy.” Your clients are not Googling your vocabulary. 4. Stick to one idea per sentence. If your sentence is doing cartwheels and dragging a comma parade behind it, break it up. 5. Format like you actually want them to read it. Use line breaks. Add white space. Make it skimmable. No one wants to read a block of text the size of a mortgage document. Writing clearly isn’t dumbing it down. It’s respecting your audience enough to make content easy to understand. What’s the worst jargon-filled phrase you’ve seen in the wild? Let’s roast it.

Tech jargon smothers great ideas. We see it every day at Motto® Brilliant innovations and products are hidden under complex language their customers can’t understand. Why? ⦿ We forget what it feels like to be a beginner. ⦿ Our internal lingo becomes a crutch, creating distance. ⦿ We mistakenly equate simplicity with lack of depth. But your tech isn't the only hero — what it does for the customer is. So, speak more human. Show how you make lives better. Instead of "Leveraging blockchain for decentralized finance solutions”... …say, "Helping people control their money without middlemen." See the difference? One confuses, and the other connects. Smart tech brands are catching on. Clear language doesn't diminish expertise — it *showcases* it. When people get you, they want you. To make this shift… → Use simple, relatable words → Focus on benefits, not features → Talk to your customers and listen to how they describe you → Test your message with non-tech people → Explain your tech like you're talking to a curious friend When you land this, something incredible happens: People see precisely how your tech fits their lives. You’re no longer just another tech company— You're a problem-solver people need. Clear language isn't dumbing down… …it's amplifying your impact.

STOP USING BUZZWORDS, START SPEAKING ENGLISH If you can’t explain a concept in plain English or better yet, in a single sentence you probably don’t understand it yet. I’ve sat in too many meetings where everyone nods along at terms no one actually understands. Or, even worse, everyone THINKS they understand, but they all have a completely different definition and then wonder why the conversation is going nowhere. “Cross-screen convergence” "Holistic measurement framework" "Cloud native measurement stacks" Say enough buzzwords in a row ("Leveraging AI-powered DCO to drive scalable creative versioning across omnichannel touchpoints.") and people stop asking questions. But that’s the moment you should lean in. The best strategists aren’t fluent in jargon. They’re fluent in translation. Here’s what’s worked for me and why TVREV is known for our ability to express complex thoughts in plain English without dumbing it down. 1️⃣ Swap buzzwords for metaphors. “buy this thing now" vs "think good thoughts about us” beats “performance vs brand.” 2️⃣ Ask, “How would you explain this to your grandmother?” 3️⃣ When in doubt: simplify, then simplify again. If you want to be taken seriously, stop trying to sound smart. Start trying to be understood. 🤪

Users don't suck, but the information provided to them can. If your IFU reads like a legal contract, people won’t read it. Why? Because they’re confusing. Too wordy. Too complex. Too scattered. A great IFU should feel like having a clear-headed expert guiding you step by step. The user needs to know what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Here's 20 recommendations/writing rules to improve your IFU↴ 1. Write procedures in short, identifiable steps, and in the correct order. 2. Before listing steps, tell the reader how many steps are in the procedure. 3. Limit each step to no more than three logically connected actions. 4. Make instructions for each action clear and definite. 5. Tell the user what to expect from an action. 6. Discuss common use errors and provide information to prevent and correct them. 7. Each step should fit on one page. 8. Avoid referring the user to another place in the manual (no cross-referencing). 9. Use as few words as possible to present an idea or describe an action. 10. Use no more than one clause in a sentence. 11. Write in a natural, conversational way. Avoid overly formal language. 12. Express ideas of similar content in similar form. 13. Users should be able to read instructions aloud easily. Avoid unnecessary parentheses. 14. Use the same term consistently for devices and their parts. 15. Use specific terms instead of vague descriptions. 16. Use active verbs rather than passive voice. 17. Use action verbs instead of nouns formed from verbs. 18. Avoid abbreviations or acronyms unless necessary. Define them when first used and stay consistent. 19. Use lay language instead of technical jargon, especially for medical devices intended for laypersons. 20. Define technical terms the first time they appear and keep definitions simple. Prioritize the user while ensuring MDR/IVDR compliance.

Let's understand how to communicate technical concepts to Non-technical stakeholders. 1. Use Analogies and Metaphors: One of the best ways to explain technical concepts is to relate them to something more familiar. Example: If you're explaining cloud storage, you could compare it to a bank. Just as we store money in a bank rather than keeping it at home, we store data in the cloud rather than on our local machines. 2. Visual Aids and Diagrams: A picture can often convey what words cannot. Example: If explaining how a database works, a simple diagram showing how data is input, stored, retrieved, and displayed can be more intuitive than a lengthy description. 3. Simplify the Language: Avoid jargon and technical terms as much as possible. Example: Instead of saying "We're migrating the database to a new server," you might say "We're moving our data to a new home to make things run smoother." 4. Stories and Use Cases: Describe how a technical feature or change translates to a real-world scenario or use case that the stakeholder can relate to. Example: If introducing a new authentication feature, you can describe a story where "Mary, a user, logs in, and instead of just a password, she now also confirms her identity using a code on her phone, ensuring her data remains even safer." 5. Relate to Business Objectives: Stakeholders care about the impact on the business. Always link technical changes or features to business benefits. Example: If suggesting the adoption of a new tech stack, explain how "This new technology can help us deliver features to our customers 20% faster, which means more revenue in the long run." 6. Interactive Demonstrations: Sometimes, showing is more effective than telling. Example: If introducing a new software tool, rather than describing its features, give a quick live demo to show its advantages. 7. Feedback Loops: After explaining, always ask for feedback or questions. This ensures that the listener understands and provides an opportunity to clarify any doubts. Example: After discussing a new data analytics tool, you might ask, "Does this make sense in terms of how you foresee using the data for your quarterly reports?" 8. Use Real Numbers: When discussing technical improvements, using quantifiable metrics can help stakeholders grasp the impact. Example: Instead of saying "Our website will load faster," say "Our website will load in 2 seconds instead of 10, improving user satisfaction and potentially increasing our sales." 9. Reiterate Importance Without Technicalities: Even if they don’t understand all technical aspects, stakeholders should walk away knowing why it's essential. Example: If suggesting a cybersecurity upgrade, you might say, "While the technicalities are complex, the bottom line is that this change makes our customer data much safer from potential threats." BA Helpline #businessanalysis #businessanalyst #businessanalysts #ba #stakeholders #stakeholdermanagement

I used to think that a powerful technique in trial work was showing the jury that I had mastered the most complex technical subjects. Like going toe-to-toe with a PhD or MD expert using their language. Matching their jargon. Showing the jury I could talk about post-impact trajectory analysis or neurometabolic cascade like I had a doctorate myself. But the jury would be lost. And they were frankly annoyed that I was wasting their time. The key isn't to sound like the expert's colleague. It's taking that PhD-level concept and explaining it so a sixth grader could understand it. That makes things far more interesting and very engaging. The physics of why a truck can't stop like a car? It's like stopping a loaded shopping cart vs. an empty one. Hours of service violations? It's like taking a flight with a pilot who just completed a transpacific flight. Explaining that a herniated disc is like a squished jelly donut. The hard part isn't learning the expert's language. It is translating it into something human. Making the indigestible simple without dumbing it down or losing the truth. Juries don't decide based on who sounds smartest. They decide based on who they understand and trust. And clarity and simplicity help with both. #TrialStrategy #Litigation #TrialLawyer #JuryPersuasion

Ever open an email and immediately know you're not going to read it? That's how your execs feel about your business reviews. There are oodles of CSMs and AMs out there that think "executive communication" means making everything more polished, more formal, more multisyllabic words, etc. Wrong direction entirely. Execs don't really care about elevated language. All they want is for you to get to the point. During a Sales Assembly session on Running Effective Business Reviews last week, Brianna Lewke introduced the room to Smart Brevity - a framework from the Axios team (which I love) that basically says: Stop burying the lead in paragraph seven. Start with what matters. Then give context if they want it. Here's an example of what NOT to do: "Over the past quarter, we've been collaborating cross-functionally to drive strategic alignment around key initiatives that will enable enhanced operational efficiency..." What does the exec read? Nothing. They stopped at "collaborating." Contrast that with this: "Personalized onboarding cut new client churn by 8% in six months." See the difference? This version has specificity, a number, and a timeframe. It's not polished. It's not vague. It's just true. The irony is that stripping away the jargon actually makes you sound MORE credible, not less. Because it shows you're confident enough to just say what you mean. Here's what Briana suggests you start doing differently: 1. The one-slide rule. If I can't explain the key insight on one slide with less than 50 words, I don't understand it well enough yet. All the supporting data? That's appendix material. 2. Bottom line up front, always. The first sentence of every email, every deck, every update needs to answer: what decision do you need to make, or what outcome did we achieve? 3. Kill every adjective that doesn't add information. "Strategic partnership" means nothing. "Collaborative approach" means nothing. "Innovative solution" definitely means nothing. If you can't explain the value in 15 words or less, you don't understand it well enough yet. Most people write long emails because they haven't figured out what they're actually trying to say. Picture a QBR where the CSM opens with: "You're tracking to hit your Q4 retention target, but we've got a risk in your enterprise segment that needs attention this week." Seven seconds in, and anybody will know exactly what this meeting is about. The rest of the conversation can now be spent actually solving the problem instead of folks trying to figure out if there was a problem. So next time you're about to send an update or present a QBR, read the first sentence out loud. If you had to stop reading after that one sentence, would the person know what happened, why it matters, and what needs to happen next? If the answer is no, rewrite it.

The moment I stopped trying to sound smart changed everything for me. I used to write and speak like I was trying to impress a university professor Long sentences. Complex words. Buzzwords I secretly did not understand. Then something uncomfortable happened. A non-technical friend asked me: "Can you explain what you do to me like I am twelve?" My first answer was a mess. 😅 So I tried again. "In simple terms, what I do is teach computers to recognize patterns so we can make better decisions." She said: "Oh, that actually sounds cool. Why do you not say that online?" That moment hit me. If people need a dictionary to understand you, they will not trust you I made one small shift. If I cannot explain it simply, I probably do not understand it deeply. So I changed how I communicate: 🟣 I swapped jargon for everyday language 🟣 I used examples from real life, not only research papers 🟣 I talked about feelings, not only frameworks The result surprised me. More people engaged. More people related. Even colleagues told me, "This is the first time I have seen this explained in a way my parents could understand." Here is the truth. The future of tech will belong to the people who can translate, not just the people who can code. Try this. Pick one thing you work on and explain it in one simple sentence in the comments. No jargon. No buzzwords. If a teenager could understand it, you are on the right track