Switched Keys

In our locality we subscribe to the weekend edition of the local news. That gives us Friday Saturday and Sunday issues. The highlight of the weekend is in the Sunday comics. That's the only section I read faithfully and the comic that I'm most likely to cut out and post somewhere is the Dilbert comic.

Dilbert has a way of exposing the reality of modern business in a humorous way. He is insightful in his ability to characterize what I see where I work. Almost makes me wonder if he used to work there. The scary part is they must teach these crackbrained ideas somewhere. However I'm not going to say much about Dilbert now since I'd like to devote a lengthy entry to Scott Adams observations.

Ingrained in the management techniques and thought processees is the jargon of business a collection of words that management types like to use in order to sound like they know what they are talking about. Earlier today I came across an interesting game that can be played during meetings that may help you identify some of these phrases.

The game is at http://elsmar.com/level2/Bingo.html . In this game you use a preprinted 5 x 5 bingo card with common business jargon phrases in each box. When you hear that phrase check off that box. For shorter meetings play for 5 in a row or four corners. For seminars and town hall type meetings an X or a black out could be a real challenge.

There is also a variation of the card but for a more realistic version I would suggest you compile your own list of phrases from the common speakers in your meeting. Then arrange the most common phrases around the edges with the most bizarre blurts near the center. This is really needed to give you a challenge.

Another thing that I've observed is that certain managers like to repeat certain phrases. A simpler game that might work better with this would be to list those phrases and then score a certain number of points for each time that phrase is used in the meeting.

Yet another variation that might interest you would be to create one of these games from phrases you use yourself. Might teach you to watch your jargon... Might not....