TIUOA - The Indiscriminate Use of Acronyms

Folks really like to work with acronyms. I'd prefer to believe it's because we feel so rapid we have to have to condense our speech to compensate, so we use acronyms to speed things up; but I might be incorrect. definition are specifically rampant in Chat Rooms. If you've been to 1, you understand how tough it is actually to understand what people today are saying for those who don't know acronyms like LOL or BRB.

Fortunately--or however, as the case maybe--the technical professions are filled with them. Maybe it is mainly because they're easier to use or they are just plain more quickly to say. Or, possibly it's mainly because they aid the particular person applying them establish their mental superiority. Whatever the reason, our jobs are replete with them and they serve their purposes.

But technical acronyms have a downside as well. Those around the business side from the ledger never generally know what they mean. One particular business I worked for, had an outstanding collection of acronyms, which personnel employed freely, as well freely. They became so ingrained within the organization's culture; they at times interfered with consumer communications, costing the business company.

If you are in sales, you have to be wary of acronyms. When they've their upsides, they will expense you, if you are not cautious when and how you use them.

Let's look at a uncomplicated example. A sales engineer delivering a presentation explains how a particular protocol functions and how the company's gear functions with regard to it. She or he understands these acronyms and leverages them inside the presentation to speed communication. That is great, if the sales engineer is talking for the proper men and women. If not, he or she could be cutting their personal throat.

In case your audience is composed of enterprise decision-makers, odds are they may not know what the acronyms represent. Far more importantly, they might not care. Their primary concern during the presentation is finding out regardless of whether your item or service solves their dilemma, whether or not they knew they had 1 or not.

So what happens once you use a strange acronym? They are either going to ask you what it signifies or they are going to try to decipher it. If they ask for its meaning, you could sound wise telling them, but you have interrupted the presentation. If they determine to decipher it, they're going to cease paying interest even though their processors decipher "the code." Either way, it is not great.

Here's an additional instance. Often, prospects refrain from asking about an acronym because they're intimidated or embarrassed. They are not familiar with it but since they didn't ask about it and they are sitting inside the presentation, you automatically assume they know what it implies. Communication is blocked. That's also not very good either.

Then there is the query of ambiguity. When you use an acronym and never clarify its which means, your audience might not be clear about what you happen to be 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 Temporary Living Allowance

o Territorial Regional Authority

o Texas Lawyers Association

o Tadpole Liberation Army (my individual favourite)

and lots of far more...

OK, I am exaggerating. Chances are these terms won't come up within a technical sales presentation. But I think you get the idea. So how do you handle acronyms if you're making a technical sales presentation?

Listed here are my recommendations...

If you are supplying a handout, make a section for acronyms.
If you are performing a PowerPoint presentation, clarify the stand for once they come up.
Attempt gaging your audience's technical information. (When you feel your audience has a high degree of technical knowledge, steer clear of explaining the acronym. You do not would like to be seen as a babysitter explaining TCP/IP to a much more advanced audience.)
If it's a company-related acronym or it represents some obscure market typical, really feel absolutely free to explain its which means when it comes up.
Acronyms are a truth of life. They are here to stay and we are going to become employing them until we start out utilizing telepathy to communicate. Within the imply time, be careful with acronyms when providing a technical sales presentation. They will cost you.