Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
200 words that the council should stop using
The Local Government Association has released a list of 200 words which they say councils should not use.
The group says that councils should ban the use of words on the list of local govenment jargon if they want to communicate effectively with local people.
Words and phrases on the list include:
* taxonomy
* re-baselining
* mainstreaming
* holistic governance
* contestability
* synergies
and my favourite: predictors of beaconicity (which made Charlotte Green on the Today programme laugh while she was saying it)
The full list with translations into plain English can be seen
here
Read some LG reactions here
What's your least favourite bit of council speak? I always feel a slight annoyance at service users and one not on the list...public realm.
The group says that councils should ban the use of words on the list of local govenment jargon if they want to communicate effectively with local people.
Words and phrases on the list include:
* taxonomy
* re-baselining
* mainstreaming
* holistic governance
* contestability
* synergies
and my favourite: predictors of beaconicity (which made Charlotte Green on the Today programme laugh while she was saying it)
The full list with translations into plain English can be seen
here
Read some LG reactions here
What's your least favourite bit of council speak? I always feel a slight annoyance at service users and one not on the list...public realm.
Tags for Forum Posts: plain English
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by james walsh on
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My point is that while we were thinking of an alternative we were actually brainstorming (geddit?)
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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Among the few books I still have within easy reach, is a yellowing paperback which I should consult more often. It's the 1962 edition of The Complete Plain Words by Ernest Gowers. He describes it as "concerned with . . . the choice and arrangement of words in such a way as to get an idea as exactly as possible out of one mind into another". Though, adding that the book "is circumscribed by its being intended primarily for those who use words as tools of their trade, in administration or business."
‘Plain' doesn't mean dull or stupid. Nor does it exclude wit and invention. Aiming high for clarity and precision should also help us explore and explain complex and interesting ideas.
As Liz says, low-flying buzzwords are intended to sound impressive, even when vague and empty. Another problem is that they often start high up. So low-level bureaucrats sprinkle the latest business and civil service phrases into their reports and language. Presumably hoping that Government Inspectors will rate them doubleplusgood and not take away another half-a-star.
Does the LGA list show that we've reached a tipping point in the direction of travel of our product landscape? If so, will Haringey’s Forward Plan address the sea change in the matrix of stakeholder partnerships?
By the way the newest bullshit bingo phrase is "deep-diving". Anyone got a clue what that means?
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Is it a form of oxygen narcosis ?
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Googling, I found this link to deep dive. It seems to be a collaborative brainstorming / research process when a team of people are immersed in and focused on a single collaborative task.
There you are, James. Morphic reasonance.
Meanwhile, two people told me they'd heard the term 'deep-diving'. In one case it was simply taking an 'in-depth' look at something. Another said it was used to mean comprehensively checking-out an organisation to assess if it was sustainable in the recession.
So yep, while 'deep dive' is a trademark, 'Deep-Diving' is a great new buzzword and anyone can use it for anything they like. Stand-by for more examples.
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Can't wait :-)
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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Securing the Future!
This odious phrase was used many times by the council in their efforts to give Haringey's most important building, of enomous historical signficance, to a property developer.
It's not actually a council-coined phrase. It's a classic piece of PR-speak, used the world over when a company or organisation is trying to sell an idea or change, particularly about its future.
It is of course content-free and devoid of meaning.
Our council spent approximately £200,000 with the PR company Lexington Communications in order to retail empty phrases like this to taxpayers and charity beneificiaries (that's
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