Let’s run it up the flagpole and see who salutes!

It was many years ago when I was working in a secondary school and went on a course that I first became consciously aware of the dreadful jargon that was overtaking us. A retired policeman talked about putting something on the back burner and it was the first time I had heard the phrase and thought it was his own, and quite imaginative. He also went on to say something wasn’t set in stone and I had an image of Moses descending from the mountain with the commandments written on the stone tablets.

Obviously over the years when  I heard these same phrases and more I realised that the retired policeman couldn’t have been the originator of the sayings! Blue-sky thinking, envelopes which weren’t envelopes, ball-parks which we don’t have in England, magic or silver bullets, batting averages and bean counters… oh it goes on and on and I’m sure I’ll think of a lot more of these ridiculous idioms when I’ve posted this!

In the meantime, I was very amused by this editorial comment in the Daily Telegraph the other day:

Ticking the right boxes

Someone’s got to step up to the plate over office jargon

So, can I get a heads-up on this innovative survey of office jargon, ahead of its roll-out? Let’s get our ducks in a row and make sure we’re singing from the same hymn sheet. To be perfectly honest, this could be a tipping point. In actual fact, it’s a bit of a wake-up call. Someone’s got to step up to the plate. Lessons will be learnt, very much so. No more issues around stakeholder satisfaction in any way, shape or form. We’re looking to deliver robust solutions, up and running from the get-go. It’s a big ask. Basically, I need this to be turn-key. Absolutely. Give it 110 per cent and push the envelope with some blue-sky thinking. Go the extra mile. Bear with me… I’m out of pocket next week (it’s a work-life balance thing), but ping it over, and I’ll revert back. You’re a star. We’ll touch base soonest and liaise with human resources going forward. Got a lunch – catch you later.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/10030638/Ticking-the-right-boxes.html