1.3Adapt your speech & vocabulary
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Jargon banned outside peers: translate (“guaranteed deadline”, “overnight processing”) — customers who don't understand leave in silence.
- Calibrate: hurried = essentials first; anxious = reassuring steps; expert = details and proof.
- Reflex: “here is what I can do” (not “it's impossible”); ban “calm down” and “you should have”.
Threaded mini-case — Rania translates the jargon
Same agency in Algiers: the technician talks about a “night batch” and an “escalated ticket”. Rania translates for the customer: “automatic processing tonight” and “sent to the specialist”. To the hurried one she gives verdict + deadline first, to the anxious one the steps one by one, to the expert the proof — same substance, three paces.
Sequel to cases 1.1–1.2 — after listening, speaking right.
1. Speak customer, not trade
Jargon banned ("SLA (Service Level Agreement)", "escalated ticket", "batch") except with a peer: translate ("guaranteed lead time", "passed to the specialist", "overnight processing"). Customers who do not understand dare not say so — and take revenge by leaving.
2. Calibrate: rushed, anxious, expert
Rushed: essentials first (verdict, lead time, action). Anxious: reassure step by step (what is done, what follows, when). Expert: details and evidence, no condescending teaching. Same information, three speeds: adapting is respect.
3. Words that heal and words that hurt
"I'll take care of it" (not "we'll see"), "here is what I can do" (not "it's impossible"), "we" (not "them, the department…"). Ban: "calm down", "you should have", "it's procedure" without explanation.
The blooper reel of hurtful phrases (heard for real)
Moral: if your sentence appears above, replace it with “here is what I can do”.
🔎 Concrete example — 🔎 Hands-on example — Same outage, three customers
Pressé : « Panne identifiée, rétabli demain 10 h, je vous confirme par SMS. » Anxieux : « Voici ce qui s'est passé, ce que j'ai déjà fait, ce qui suit étape par étape, et mon numéro direct. » Expert : logs + cause racine + correctif + monitoring ajoutéTakeaway: the substance is identical, the form respects.
Lesson: when in doubt, ask "would you like the detail?"
Section vocabulary
- Positive language
- Solution-oriented phrasing rather than blockage (“I can… by Monday” rather than “I can't before Monday”).
Simple example: “Here is what I can do: delivery by Monday.”
What it is not: sugarcoating or lying to please.
Reflex: always offer a way out to the same truth.
- Jargon
- Technical or internal vocabulary (acronyms, trade terms) customers can't understand — avoid it.
Simple example: “Night batch” and “escalated ticket” that Rania translates.
What it is not: a simple word everyone understands.
Reflex: translate each technical term into concrete language.
- Clarity
- Expressing yourself simply and understandably, in the customer's language.
Simple example: “Automatic processing tonight” instead of “batch”.
What it is not: drowning customers in acronyms to prove expertise.
Reflex: if it's not simply understood, rephrase.
- Register adaptation
- Adjusting tone, detail level and vocabulary to the person and situation.
Simple example: Essentials to the hurried, steps to the anxious, proof to the expert.
What it is not: the same delivery for every profile.
Reflex: assess who you're talking to, then adjust.
- Negative phrasing
- Phrasing that blocks or rejects (the dry “no”, blame on the customer) — replace with positive.
Simple example: “Calm down”, “you should have”, “it's procedure” with no explanation.
What it is not: “I'm on it, here is what I can do.”
Reflex: ban the 3 phrases that hurt.
In practice — Hands-on - Adapt your speech and vocabulary
- Use positive language: point towards the solution ("I can…") rather than the blockage ("I can't…").
- Ban jargon: speak the customer's language, simply, without drowning them or talking down to them.
- Adapt register and level of detail to the person, the channel and the emotional context.
- Avoid irritating phrasing (the blunt "no", bureaucratic formulas, blame shifted onto customers).
Ready-to-say script — translating without condescension (30 s)
“Plainly: your data will be processed automatically tonight, and I'll confirm tomorrow at 10am by SMS. Do you want the technical detail, or is the essentials enough? I'm handling it personally.”
Say it simply: translate the jargon, offer the detail level, end with the commitment.
Copy-paste template — jargon translator
JARGON HEARD: _______________
CLEAR TRANSLATION: _______________
PROFILE (hurried / anxious / expert): _______________
POSITIVE PHRASING: “Here is what I can do: _______________”
BANNED PHRASES AVOIDED: YES / NOHurried customer
Verdict, deadline, action in 3 sentences, detail offered as an option (“do you want the detail?”).
SME in Algiers
Rania translates each internal acronym, uses formal address, stays concrete: customers won't dare say they don't understand.
Anxious customer
Reassuring steps (done, next, when) + direct number: reassure through the sequence, not jargon.
Expert customer
Details and proof (cause, fix, follow-up) without condescending teaching: speak peer to peer.
✓ Best practices
- Translate all jargon.
- Calibrate to the profile (rushed/anxious/expert).
- Ban the 3 hurtful phrases.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Jargon among insiders in front of customers.
- Same speed for everyone.
- A blunt "It's procedure".
Key takeaways
- Positive language points towards the solution ("I can… for Monday") rather than the blockage.
- Avoid jargon: speak the customer's language, simply, without drowning them or talking down to them.
- Adapt register, level of detail and tone to the person, the channel and the context.
- Avoid irritating phrasing (the blunt "no", blame shifted onto customers); how you say it matters as much as the substance.
48h Challenge — apply tomorrow
Spot 3 jargon terms you use, write their clear translation (template above) and use it with 2 real customers, calibrating hurried/anxious.
- I can translate 3 jargon terms into plain language.
- I can calibrate hurried / anxious / expert.
- I did the 48h challenge or scheduled its date.
Frequently asked questions
Is "positive language" just a way of sugar-coating things?
No, it is neither make-up nor empty talk: it is a way of phrasing reality by pointing towards the solution rather than the blockage, which is both more pleasant for customers and more effective. Take an example: "I can't deliver to you before Monday" and "I can deliver to you for Monday" say exactly the same thing factually (delivery will be Monday), but the first stresses impossibility and constraint (which frustrates), while the second highlights what can be done (which reassures). It is not lying — it is choosing the constructive angle of the same truth. Likewise, "that's not my department" (rejection) becomes "I'll point you to the right person" (help): same situation, radically different felt message. Positive language is not about hiding problems or making false promises (that would be counterproductive), but about avoiding unnecessarily blocking negative phrasing and always offering a way forward. Words have real power over perception: a blunt "no" closes the door, a "here is what I can do" keeps it open. It is respect (you do not rebuff customers) and effectiveness (you move towards the solution). Of course, sometimes you must deliver genuinely bad news or say no (section 3.4) — but even there, the manner of saying it, with tact and by offering alternatives, changes everything. Positive language is a professional communication skill, not manipulation.
Why should you avoid jargon with customers?
Because jargon (technical vocabulary, internal acronyms, trade terms) excludes customers instead of helping them — and harms the relationship in several ways. First, customers do not understand: if you speak to them in terms they do not master, your message does not get through, they leave confused, and the problem is not really solved. Next, jargon creates distance and can feel condescending (customers feel treated as ignorant) or like a way of hiding behind expert language. Finally, it can suggest no effort is made to meet them where they are. Conversely, expressing yourself simply, in the customer's language, shows respect, eases understanding and puts customers at ease. That does not mean talking down to them or over-simplifying (which would also be insulting): it means adapting to their level. A customer expert in the field may appreciate technical vocabulary; a novice retail customer needs clear, vivid explanations. The key is adaptation: assessing who you speak to and adjusting your vocabulary accordingly. Restating a technical notion in concrete, understandable terms is indeed a mark of true mastery ("if you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"). The goal of customer communication is not to show you know, but to make people understand and help. Jargon serves professionals' egos; clarity serves customers. Always choose customers.
Rania must explain a “night batch” to a non-technical person.