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How much jargon can you really use?I work for a health-care company as a technical writer for various disciplines. Sometimes my subject matter experts use jargon and insist that it stay in the documentation or policy/procedure manuals. They insist that the audience knows the terms and uses the terms. I know I should use language my audience knows, but how much jargon can you really use? Examples include "care plan" as a verb and phrases like "on admission." "If the RAP is triggered, the team should begin care planning." "Enter the resident's weight and height on admission." By ytsirk at 2007-11-16 15:04 | editing for jargon | ytsirk's blog | login or register to post comments | printer friendly version
How much jargon can you really use?The examples you gave are all perfectly valid and well-understood within an audience of nursing home nurses and administrators. My ex-wife was a care plan manager at a nursing home and I gained a lot of familiarity with the terminology involved. You only have too much jargon if the jargon interferes with the ability of the audience to understand what you're trying to communicate. If the audience speaks that jargon on a daily basis, you're doing them a disservice by trying to eliminate their jargon. Best regards, Mike |
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Subject matter experts are just that. They may or may not know your audience, and often overestimate what they know. Your best bet is to communicate with your audience (if you can), or research your audience, and ask them/determine if they know these terms.
Keith Allingham, Consultant in Ottawa