One of the most common problems that people raise with me in the digital strategy sessions I run is the difficulty of cutting through the blizzard of jargon that is constantly being created by technological innovation. I try and raise the issue in a light hearted way by showing a slide of Alice In Wonderland talking to Humpty Dumpty. In the image Humpty says to Alice, 'When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less'. Alice replies, 'The question is whether you can make words mean so many different things'. 'The question is', Humpty answers, 'which is to be master – that’s all'. I think we’ve all met people with views similar to Humpty who use digital speak to confuse rather than enlighten others – sometimes with an eye on becoming the ‘master’. In my view, it’s better to be like Alice who is happy to ask questions in plain English and eventually walks away unimpressed by Humpty’s slippery words.
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