Avoid industry terms and jargon

There it was again. That word; "peeds". This time however the good doctor looked up from her notes and surveyed the crowd. "I feel like I've lost you," she confessed. Twenty plus well dressed business men and women looked back at her. Finally a weak voice rose from the back, "I don't know what this word you keep saying is....peeds." For nearly 35 years the doctor had worked in pediatrics and the commonly used term inside the hospital is shortened to "peeds." This group of non-medical folks got lost when she used the term.

All of us have industry-specific terms we use...within that industry. But when we find ourselves trying to communicate to people from other walks of life our industry jargon can get in the way. My first day in television I was awash in TV slang, vo-sots, V.O. bites and nat sound. I spent the first week confused and certain I would never get it.

To avoid this inside jargon read your speech to someone outside of your industry. Ask them to make a note of anything they don't completely understand. In this case your spouse may not work inasmuch as they may have heard your industry jargon enough that they can follow along.

Rid your presentation of every word or phrase that won't be clear to absolutely everyone in the audience. But if you feel you must use a word or term, follow it up with the phrase, "...which means..." So, for instance you might say, "these foods are high on the glycemic index...which means....they will likely raise your blood sugar."