There is a certain pompousness to how some people communicate. It is a combination of management speak, patronising, and technical speak. It is meant to subtly make you feel inferior, in the wrong, and somehow grateful. However, it is unlikely the people communicating like this even recognise it. They believe they are being professional – ‘this is how the people in our field communicate.’

But here’s the thing. Communication, even in negotiation, is about knowing your audience. Using ‘big’ words, being patronising, using technical language that ordinary people don’t understand is not communication. It is a lording over. A power game. And it never makes the other feel good or respond to you well.

Don’t do it.

You can choose to be human. To have empathy. To meet the other. There is nothing about this that is unprofessional about this approach. And almost always a better result will be achieved for everyone.

The choice is up to us. No matter how many degrees and qualifications we have.

Photo by Sebastian Herrmann