I recently was invited to a vendor lunch and learn. Here is the subject -
OCP Platform - ACS and ACM - ODF Advanced
I didn't go. I don't know what all of the acronyms mean.
That example came from a vendor, but we do this to ourselves all the time. Here are a few email/meeting subjects I've had in my inbox recently
SI-2 & RA-5 Escalation Step 1
or
Implementing MTLS for SSO for our app
or
OD4B and SPO
Unless you work with those terms on a regular basis, you aren't likely to know what those mean.
Why Do We Use Acronyms?
We tend to use acronyms for a couple of reasons, but I think it really comes down to speed. It is just faster to write SPO than it is SharePoint Online. But there is a less obvious reason we use acronyms - it makes us feel good. In the book The Upside of Irrationality, Dan Ariely talks about how acronyms can be used to communicate about ideas in shorthand. Those not familiar with the ideas don't understand the acronyms. When you know what the acronym means, it creates this sense of cohesiveness of being part of the "in" crowd.
The downside to using acronyms like this is that it keeps outsiders out. It becomes difficult to break into the "in" crowd. For those of us that have been at a company for many years, some of the common acronyms aren't new to us, but when you try talking to new employees, across departments, or sometimes even teams, those acronyms don't always translate.
Not only can the acronyms not translate, they are often overloaded. If I'm working with our web services team and I'm talking about SSO, it stands for "Single Sign On". If I'm working with a security team and talking about SSO, it stands for "System Security Officer" (or at least I think it does - a SSO is definitely a Security Officer of some kind).
Acronyms Are Exclusive Language
When we use acronyms, we are using an exclusive language where only people in the "in" crowd will know what we are talking about. Others are left to ask questions or use Google to figure it out. Using the Google method, I figured out what the meeting request I mentioned above was about - the Oregon Catholic Press's (OCP) Platform with the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for the Oregon Department of Forestry's (ODF) Advanced [force]. That would have been a long title, I'm glad they used acronyms. While that might have been interesting, I'm glad I didn't go.
All joking aside, I really don't know what the meeting was about. I may have been needed. It may have been about something that impacts my work. I don't know and I made the decision to not attend in lieu of other, more well-defined work.
As part of my job, I teach new, entry-level employees on various programming techniques and technologies we use. Over the years, I've learned there are a lot of different acronyms we use and just expect people to know. If you are curious about how often we slip into acronym world, try teaching. It will highlight where we expect people to understand acronyms.
Not All Acronyms are Bad
I do believe we should cut way back on using acronyms, but there are certain acronyms that aren't all bad. There are acronyms that are part of every day life that we can continue to use - USA, NYC, SCUBA, DMV, GEICO, NASA. There are acronyms used specific in technology - IT, SDLC, API, HTML, XML. Everyone knows what those mean. Go ahead and use those shortcuts. On the other hand, if there is any doubt about whether someone will know what you are talking about - do not use the acronym.
If you are on the receiving end of an acronym you don't know, make sure you speak up and ask about it. If you don't know, there are likely plenty of other people who also don't know.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)
Stop using acronyms if they aren't widely known.
Top comments (14)
My observations on this over the years:
There's no one-size-fits-all way to fix it, but I think this also helps to make it easier and more accessible for all 😃
Your first bullet rang a bell for me. While I agree that we should feel safe to ask, I believe we should take it a step farther. The Communicator has information that they want to convey to the Recipient. It's the Recipient's responsibility to listen and ask questions, sure... but it's the Communicator's responsibility to ensure the information has been delivered effectively! So the Communicator should always strive to deliver more than the "bare minimum message".
Also love the idea that the tools can assist us in being faster while preserving clarity. Wonder if those replacement rules could be sort of "inner-sourced" within a company that struggles with alphabet soup?
Absolutely. It's a two-way street, because I've also encountered similar acronyms and abbreviations that have different meanings based on the context e.g.
CI
It's not impossible that all three above could feature in the same meeting and then it is up to the communicator to ensure that contextually these are explained well enough.
I think acronyms naturally form as part of a group/community's communication style, so there's no getting away from it. What may seem "commonly used" to you could still mean absolutely nothing to another group. We're also really keen on shortening #allthethings, see: abbreviations and contractions!
That said, totally agreed on the subject for the lunch & learn. It seems like it wasn't constructed by someone with Communications as part of their skillset.
So my opposing argument: It's not the acronyms that's an issue but rather that someone tried to make a sentence using only acronyms. :P
<pedantry>Most of your examples are initialisms, not acronyms
</pedantry>I am of the firm belief that any initialism can be an acronym if you try hard and believe in yourself.
This is the comment I was expecting at any moment. Thanks for bringing the pedantry.
Would you sign in for my AAAAAAA (American Association Against the Aggressive Adaption and Abuse of Acronyms)?
Sorry, I could not resist... 😄
IKR?
When writing a paper or other longform communcation, I allow myself to use acronyms/initialisms if I define them the first time they appear.
Or flipped a bit
Well said, SUA!
Aa = Absolutely agree.
Amen! I keep getting lost in them.
CNAM!!!