Posts Tagged ‘optimise’
Acronyms
Acronyms are a very quick way to let misunderstanding slip into your communications. For anyone to understand an acronym, they need to know something before hand. Further more, that knowledge is context sensitive. For example, if I said my ROI was very high right now, what might I be talking about? Here are some choices:
- Return on Investment
- Rate of Interest
- Risk of Incarceration
(taken from the Acronym Finder)
If I’m talking about a deal I’ve just done, then I’m probably talking about Return on Investment. However, if that deal is with some local drug dealers, then perhaps I really mean Risk of Incarceration? Perhaps I’m worried about the Loan Shark’s rates?
If you’re working in an office environment, then your colleagues are unlikely to get jailed for the work they’re doing, nor are your company directors likely to get their legs broken for late repayments. However, I’m sure it’s pretty obvious how misunderstandings can creep in. Often, companies make up their own acronyms for internal activities; this again can lead to confusion, particularly with newer employees, or customers, suppliers or whatever. Essentially, we’re talking different languages, but they sound the same.
The problem with acronyms is that they’re often pretty catchy. They seem like a quicker way of saying things than saying the actual words. There’s also some psychology that suggests companies and departments deliberately invent their own languages to maintain exclusivity, value and differentiation. In short, no matter how hard you try, you’ll probably end up using acronyms for things. The key is to remember that you’re doing it, and to explain when you need to.
Actually, I find properly written communication a good way to both educate and optimise. It’s easy to follow some simple rules, such as, the first time you use an acronym, explain it. For example:
On completion, I’d expect my Return on Investment (ROI) to be very high.
From that point on in the document you can continue to say “ROI” as much as you like, without too much risk of confusion. Of course, this only works if you’re writing something fairly lengthy. An Instant Message type of medium isn’t always the best for such things, but it’s worth getting a little verbose if you think your audience might not know what you’re talking about (and as with most electronic communication, you don’t see confused looks back from your audience to tell you you’re losing them!).