TIUOA - The Indiscriminate Use of Acronyms

Folks really like to use acronyms. I'd like to think it really is due to the fact we believe so quickly we need to condense our speech to compensate, so we use acronyms to speed items up; but I could be incorrect. abbreviation are especially rampant in Chat Rooms. If you've been to one, you realize how tough it's to know what people are saying should you don't know acronyms like LOL or BRB.

Fortunately--or regrettably, because the case maybe--the technical professions are full of them. Possibly it's due to the fact they're less difficult to use or they are just plain quicker to say. Or, possibly it really is simply because they assistance the person applying them establish their mental superiority. Whatever the explanation, our jobs are replete with them and they serve their purposes.

But technical acronyms possess a downside at the same time. Those on the organization side with the ledger do not constantly know what they mean. 1 firm I worked for, had an amazing collection of acronyms, which personnel used freely, too freely. They became so ingrained inside the organization's culture; they at times interfered with consumer communications, costing the business organization.

If you're in sales, you'll want to be wary of acronyms. Although they've their upsides, they will cost you, if you're not cautious when and how you use them.

Let's appear at a straightforward example. A sales engineer delivering a presentation explains how a certain protocol operates and how the company's equipment functions with regard to it. She or he understands these acronyms and leverages them inside the presentation to speed communication. That is fantastic, if the sales engineer is talking to the suitable individuals. If not, she or he may very well be cutting his or her own throat.

In case your audience is composed of business decision-makers, chances are they might not know what the acronyms represent. A lot more importantly, they might not care. Their most important concern through the presentation is getting out regardless of whether your product or service solves their problem, whether or not they knew they had 1 or not.

So what occurs after you use a strange acronym? They are either going to ask you what it suggests or they're going to try and decipher it. If they ask for its meaning, you might sound intelligent telling them, but you've interrupted the presentation. If they decide to decipher it, they're going to cease paying interest although their processors decipher "the code." Either way, it is not very good.

Here's a different instance. Frequently, buyers refrain from asking about an acronym for the reason that they are intimidated or embarrassed. They are not familiar with it but considering that they did not ask about it and they are sitting inside the presentation, you automatically assume they know what it implies. Communication is blocked. That is also not good either.

Then there is the query of ambiguity. In case you use an acronym and never explain its which means, your audience might not be clear about what you're saying.

Take the acronym "TLA." It could stand for Three-Letter Acronym or it could stand for Two-Letter Acronym. It could also stand for other factors also. A number of my favorites are

o Tax Lien Association

o Short-term Living Allowance

o Territorial Neighborhood Authority

o Texas Lawyers Association

o Tadpole Liberation Army (my personal favourite)

and several much more...

OK, I'm exaggerating. Odds are these terms won't come up in a technical sales presentation. But I think you get the concept. So how do you deal with acronyms if you're generating a technical sales presentation?

Listed below are my recommendations...

If you are offering a handout, develop a section for acronyms.
If you are performing a PowerPoint presentation, explain the stand for after they come up.
Try gaging your audience's technical knowledge. (For those who believe your audience features a higher level of technical understanding, keep away from explaining the acronym. You don't would like to be observed as a babysitter explaining TCP/IP to a much more advanced audience.)
If it is a company-related acronym or it represents some obscure sector regular, really feel no cost to clarify its which means when it comes up.
Acronyms are a truth of life. They're right here to keep and we are going to be using them till we start off making use of telepathy to communicate. In the imply time, be cautious with acronyms when providing a technical sales presentation. They are able to expense you.