It's a clip from the film Margin Call. Set over 36 hours it depicts a Wall St bank caught up in the start of the banking crisis. A junior employee discovers some serious debt held by the bank that could bring the whole organisation down. During the night the information goes higher and higher up the bank's chain of command until someone takes the major decision to call the CEO, who flies in, landing his helicopter on the roof of the bank.
In a tense board meeting a series of terrified executives try and explain what's going wrong to the CEO who becomes more and more frustrated with their reports and their jargon. Eventually he asks the junior employee to explain it to him by saying, "Please, speak as you might to a young child, or a golden retriever".
I love that.
Two things.
Firstly, don't be afraid to ask people to explain things simply. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know. When people use complicated language and jargon they are often doing so without thinking. They're using those terms because that's what everyone else is using. Asking them to explain it simply will force them to think about what they're saying. You'll be surprised what they say.
Secondly, I sit in loads of meetings where I have no idea what people are talking about. Often when I admit I don't know what someone means other people nod and say they don't understand either.
As a communications professional you are at a huge advantage if you can explain things clearly to the widest possible audience.
Death to the jargon shibboleth.
Watched Margin Call last night for the fourth time. I love it Iron's is great. Can't quite pin down what I love so much about it.
Posted by: Toon Creffield | Oct 11, 2013 at 13:28
Great post. Inspired, in a meeting yesterday I started off by asking colleague to explain the current context and what he wanted to achieve as though he were talking to a small child. 40 minuntes later, we were finished with a clear plan and actions agreed.
Posted by: Mpsmethurst | Oct 16, 2013 at 15:15