Jargon dilutes meaning, erodes trust and makes writing harder to understand — or care about
Orsi Korman is account director, content at Havas Red US.
If you’ve ever opened a document, read a perfectly normal sentence and suddenly found yourself knee-deep in “cross-functional alignment to drive scalable impact,” you are not alone. Corporate language has a way of sneaking into even the strongest communicator’s writing — not because we don’t know better, but because jargon is everywhere: in briefs, in decks, in AI-generated drafts, in the corporate language many executives default to and in the shared vocabulary of busy teams trying to move quickly.
The problem? Jargon isn’t just an aesthetic choice. It dilutes meaning, erodes trust and makes writing harder to understand — or care about. And while many communicators can spot the most egregious offenders, some everyday words quietly undermine clarity far more often than we realize.
Here are seven words to use sparingly, thoughtfully — or not at all — and the edits that fix them.
- Deliver (Unless there is a tracking number involved.)
In business writing, “deliver” gets applied to everything: content, results, experiences, insights, value. The problem is that it rarely tells the reader anything specific.
Instead of: “We will deliver a best-in-class employee experience.” Try: “We will create an employee experience that is more collaborative and supportive.”
- Impact (As a verb, it lands with a thud.)
Few words are as vague as “impact.” Impact how? Impact whom? For better or for worse? It’s a shortcut word — one that conceals what you mean instead of clarifying it.
Instead of: “This change will impact our customer relationships.” Try: “This change will strengthen our customer relationships by making support faster.”
- Alignment (The corporate equivalent of nodding along.)
Alignment sounds productive, but it often signals the opposite: that no one is ready to name the real issue. It’s also so overused that it has lost nearly all meaning.
Instead of: “We need better alignment on next steps.” Try: “Let’s agree on the three actions we’ll take this week.”
- Leverage (The gym membership of verbs: everyone has it, few use it correctly.)
“Leverage” isn’t wrong. It’s just tired. And because it’s so broadly applied, it often makes writing feel heavier than it needs to be.
Instead of: “We will leverage insights to influence decision-making.” Try: “We will use these insights to guide our decisions.”
- Optimize (A favorite of AI — and it shows.)
Optimize is a useful word in technical contexts, but in everyday writing it tends to obscure the human impact of a decision.
Instead of: “We are optimizing our onboarding process.” Try: “We are making our onboarding process easier for new employees.”
- Unlock (How many metaphorical padlocks do we really think exist?)
Everything is being unlocked these days: opportunities, potential, innovation, value. When everything is locked, nothing feels truly meaningful.
Instead of: “This new tool unlocks strategic opportunities.” Try: “This new tool makes it possible for teams to collaborate in real time.”
- Synergy (No explanation needed.)
This word has been mocked for so long that it almost feels unfair to include it. And yet — like glitter after a craft project — it keeps showing up where it doesn’t belong.
Instead of: “Our teams created powerful synergies.” Try: “Our teams combined their skills to produce a more powerful outcome than either could have achieved alone.”
Three editing moves that fix almost any jargon-filled sentence
- Replace abstraction with specificity.
Ask: What am I actually trying to say? Then say that — plainly.
- Swap zombie verbs for human ones.
Use verbs you would actually say out loud. If you wouldn’t use it in conversation, it probably doesn’t belong in writing.
- Read it aloud.
The fastest clarity test is your own voice. If it sounds stiff, vague or like something an AI assistant would write, it needs another pass.
Jargon will always have a place in business — it’s efficient in meetings and useful in shorthand. But in writing, where clarity and connection matter, it’s worth slowing down long enough to choose language that reflects meaning, not habit.
Your readers will thank you.
The post 7 words ruining your writing — and the edits that fix them appeared first on PR Daily.
