The people who communicate best are usually the people who have stopped trying to sound impressive.
A client recently explained what she did.
She had clearly thought about it.
It was polished.
Professional.
Strategic.
And honestly, it was one of the best versions I had heard her give.
Then she said one word.
Nexus.
She had me until nexus.
Not because the word was wrong.
Not because it was inaccurate.
Not because it was a bad description of her work.
It was probably the perfect word in a boardroom, a proposal or a strategic planning document.
But in normal human conversation, it created distance.
That is the problem with corporate language.
It often sounds impressive to the person using it, but confusing to the person listening.
The speaker feels more precise.
The listener feels less certain.
One word can do that.
The Trap Of Sounding Professional
A lot of smart people have learnt to speak in a way that sounds professional but does not always sound human.
They talk about frameworks, ecosystems, alignment, capability, stakeholder engagement, optimisation, strategic enablement and operating models.
None of those words are bad.
In the right setting, they may be useful.
But too often, professional language becomes a wall.
It keeps people at a distance.
It makes simple ideas feel complicated.
It makes ordinary humans feel like they have just walked into a meeting they were not invited to.
And at some point, we have to ask a slightly dangerous question:
Are you trying to be understood?
Or are you trying to sound smart?
That question might sting a little.
Good.
It should.
Because most of us have done it.
I have definitely done it.
“It’s Complicated”
Years ago, when people asked me what I did, my answer was:
“It’s complicated.”
Which was a wonderful way of telling people I had not actually figured out how to explain it yet.
At the time, I thought I was being honest.
Looking back, I was pre-framing failure.
Before I had even started explaining my work, I had already warned the other person that what I was about to say was going to be hard work.
It was almost like saying:
“Brace yourself. This is going to be confusing.”
And then, funnily enough, the next words out of my mouth were confusing.
If you believe in self-fulfilling prophecy, that is exactly what was happening.
I had called it complicated.
So I made it complicated.
And the worst part was that I could see it happening in real time.
Their eyes would start to glaze over.
Mine probably did too.
Because if I am honest, I was bored of hearing myself try to explain it.
That was the signal.
The problem was not that my work was too complex.
The problem was that I had not done the work to make it clear.
Complexity Can Be Laziness
This is uncomfortable, but I think it is true.
Sometimes complexity is not intelligence.
Sometimes complexity is laziness.
It is easier to use the language of your industry than to translate your message into something ordinary people understand.
It is easier to say “stakeholder engagement” than to say “getting the right people in the room and helping them care.”
It is easier to say “strategic alignment” than to say “making sure everyone is heading in the same direction.”
It is easier to say “capability uplift” than to say “helping people get better at the job.”
The complex version sounds clever.
The simple version lands.
And that is the point.
If people do not understand you, they cannot be moved by you.
They cannot remember you.
They cannot refer you.
They cannot buy from you.
They cannot follow you.
They cannot advocate for you.
Communication is not about proving how much you know.
Communication is about helping someone else understand why it matters.
The BBQ Test
One of the best tests of your message is not the boardroom.
It is the BBQ.
If someone asks, “So, what do you do?” while standing beside a BBQ holding a drink, what do you say?
Do you give them your polished professional positioning statement?
Do you launch into your full 20-second pitch?
Do you tell them about your frameworks, methodologies and strategic impact?
Or do you say something simple enough that they immediately get it?
The BBQ version does not need to explain everything.
In fact, it should not.
The job of the BBQ version is not to tell the whole story.
The job is to create curiosity.
You want the other person to say:
“That’s interesting. Tell me more.”
That is the win.
Not comprehension of your entire business model.
Curiosity.
The Elevator Problem
I have been thinking about this a lot recently because I have been living in a high-rise apartment building in Brisbane.
Which means I am spending a lot of time in elevators.
And elevators are brutal communication teachers.
You do not know what floor the other person is getting off on.
You do not know whether you have 20 seconds, 12 seconds or four seconds.
You do not know whether they are about to step out just as you are midway through your beautifully polished explanation.
I have a 20-second introduction that works really well when I am being introduced on stage.
It goes something like:
“I’m Michael Philpott, an expert in the art of pitching, presenting and public speaking. I help people craft content that builds liking, trust and respect so they can say the right words in the right way at the right time and win the hearts, minds and wallets of any audience on any stage.”
That works in the right context.
On stage, it works.
On a podcast, it works.
In a webinar, it works.
In an elevator?
Not a chance.
Imagine being halfway through that while someone is trying to escape on level 12.
That is not communication.
That is hostage negotiation.
So I have had to shorten it.
Now, if someone asks what I do, I might say something like:
“I help CEOs and celebrities speak like legends.”
That is it.
Short.
Simple.
Human.
And because people understand it immediately, they often want to know more.
That is the lesson.
A message is not good because it sounds polished.
A message is good when it fits the moment.
Context Is Everything
This is where a lot of smart people get stuck.
They think simplifying their language means dumbing themselves down.
It does not.
It means reading the room.
That is the real skill.
A great communicator can adjust.
They know when to be formal and when to be casual.
They know when to go deep and when to keep it light.
They know when the audience needs detail and when they need the headline.
They know when the boardroom version is useful and when the BBQ version will land better.
That is not dumbing yourself down.
That is communicating with precision.
In fact, I would argue that the smarter you are, the more responsible you are for making your message clear.
If you know something deeply and you cannot explain it simply, that does not make you impressive.
It might mean you are missing the point.
The Academic Irony
I once sat in an audience listening to a senior academic speak at an event.
This was someone representing an educational institution.
An institution that exists to teach.
And yet the representative communicated in a way nobody could understand.
Every second word felt like it required a dictionary.
And I remember sitting there thinking:
If the purpose of communication is understanding, what exactly are we doing here?
That is the great irony. Academia, at its best, exists to illuminate.
To teach.
To expand understanding.
To help people see the world differently.
But sometimes academic language does the opposite.
It creates a barrier.
It signals intelligence instead of creating insight.
It shoots so far over the audience’s head that it misses the very people it was supposed to reach.
And this is not just an academic problem.
It happens in corporate environments.
It happens in government.
It happens in consulting.
It happens in sales.
It happens in leadership.
People become so fluent in the language of their world that they forget most other people do not live in that world.
Corporate Jargon Can Be A Mask
Here is where I think it gets more interesting.
Jargon is not always just habit.
Sometimes it is protection.
Sometimes people use complex language because it makes them feel safer.
If I sound smart, people might not challenge me.
If I use the right language, people might believe I belong.
If I speak like everyone else in the room, nobody will notice I am nervous.
If I hide behind professional language, I do not have to risk sounding ordinary.
That is why this is not really an article about jargon.
It is an article about identity.
Who are you trying to be when you communicate?
Are you trying to be understood?
Or are you trying to prove something?
Are you trying to connect?
Or are you trying to protect yourself?
Are you using language to bring people closer?
Or are you using language to keep yourself safely out of reach?
These questions matter because language shapes how people experience you.
If your language feels guarded, people feel distance.
If your language feels inflated, people feel resistance.
If your language feels human, people relax.
The Most Senior Leaders Often Speak The Most Simply
One of the most interesting things I have noticed in my work is that many of the most senior leaders I coach do not speak in heavy corporate jargon.
They do not need to.
They are usually comfortable enough in themselves that they do not have to constantly prove their intelligence.
They do not need to put on airs and graces.
They do not need to sound important.
They are already in the role.
They already know who they are.
That comfort often allows them to speak plainly.
Clearly.
Directly.
Humanly.
When I meet someone who cannot stop using jargon, I sometimes wonder what is sitting underneath it.
Is it habit?
Is it industry conditioning?
Is it nerves?
Is it imposter syndrome?
Is it a need to prove they belong?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
But I do know this.
If the language you use is not authentically you, it becomes exhausting.
It is exhausting for you to maintain.
And it can be exhausting for others to listen to.
Now, if that language genuinely is you, go for it.
Some people naturally love precise, technical, academic or complex language.
There is nothing wrong with that.
Just be considerate of context.
Because the measure of communication is not whether you enjoyed saying it.
The measure is whether it landed with the person in front of you.
Your Audience Should Not Have To Work That Hard
One of the things I often talk about in workshops is the importance of making language accessible.
If the average adult reading and comprehension age sits around 12 to 14, then we need to take that seriously.
That does not mean treating people like children.
It means respecting the reality of attention, context and cognitive load.
People are busy.
People are distracted.
People are tired.
People are reading emails between meetings.
People are listening while thinking about three other things.
People are standing at a BBQ, not sitting in a lecture theatre with a notebook and highlighter.
If your communication requires people to work too hard, most of them will not.
They will nod politely.
They will smile.
They may even say, “That sounds interesting.”
But they will not remember it.
They will not repeat it.
They will not act on it.
And if they cannot repeat it, they cannot refer it.
That matters.
Especially if you are a leader, consultant, salesperson, founder, coach, adviser or business owner.
Your message has to travel without you.
The Real Skill Is Translation
The best communicators are translators.
They can take complex ideas and make them simple.
They can take technical knowledge and make it useful.
They can take abstract strategy and make it practical.
They can take expertise and make it human.
That is not easy.
In fact, it is much harder than hiding behind industry language.
Anyone can repeat the language of their profession.
The real skill is making your message land with someone outside your profession.
Can your partner understand what you do?
Can your friend explain it to someone else?
Can a potential client understand it quickly?
Can someone at a BBQ repeat it the next day?
Can your team explain the strategy without needing a glossary?
That is the test.
Not whether your message sounds impressive.
Whether it can travel.
Stop Making It Hard For People
In workshops, I often see people have the same realisation.
They stop and say something like:
“I think I have been making this much harder than it needs to be.”
Yes.
They have.
But not just harder for the audience.
Harder for themselves too.
When your message is unclear, every conversation becomes harder.
Every pitch becomes harder.
Every introduction becomes harder.
Every sales conversation becomes harder.
Every presentation becomes harder.
Every networking event becomes harder.
Because you are constantly trying to carry the weight of a message that has not been refined.
Clear language creates relief.
For you and for the listener.
You no longer have to perform complexity.
They no longer have to decode it.
Everyone can breathe.
The Question To Ask Yourself
The next time someone asks what you do, pay attention to their eyes.
Do they light up?
Do they lean in?
Do they ask another question?
Or do they politely nod while mentally planning their escape?
That moment will tell you a lot.
Because the goal is not to impress people.
The goal is to make them curious.
The goal is not to sound important.
The goal is to be understood.
The goal is not to prove how much you know.
The goal is to help someone else care.
So ask yourself the dangerous question:
Am I trying to be understood?
Or am I trying to sound smart?
Because people do not remember the most sophisticated explanation.
They remember the one they understood.
And sometimes the people who communicate best are the ones who have finally stopped trying to sound impressive.
