Sound Smart…Mean Nothing
By Carol Schadelbauer, February 27, 2013
Josh Friedman via Flickr
My eyes glazed over and I wanted to turn off the television when I heard an interview with the Lieutenant Governor of California Gavin Newsom. His new book “Citizenville,” about how Americans can transform their government in the digital age, is certainly an interesting topic. But his messaging and delivery in an interview on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report was not.
Even Stephen Colbert couldn’t bare the fuzzy language like “democratize” and “building capacity and building community.” Colbert couldn’t contain his profanity and repeatedly cut off Newsom because he was so confused.
Two words that most people would not think to find on a “no jargon” list: capacity and community. They are definitely on my list. Nonprofits use these words on a regular basis. Think about it. What capacity are we building? Capacity to do what? And by the way, who makes up the community? What people are we talking about? These vague and bland words leave you with more questions than answers.
I found myself as restless and confused as Colbert. Take a look and hang in through the three minute mark. Great viewing!