In this video, Big Think invited Alan Alda to speak about some concepts related to good communication, particularly the use of jargon and hifalutin' words, which are highly technical or specialized terms that people in certain professions use, but which ordinary people like us may not regularly encounter in our daily lives.
Alda argues that jargon is useful because it is able to transmit meaning and information in an efficient manner especially between people who understand what those terms mean. However, its usefulness becomes moot once one incorporates the words into a context outside of their technical background or when they are being used to communicate with people who do not often encounter them.
Take, for example, the situation given by Alda in the video. Two doctors are presenting their diagnosis of a patient's conditon, an incurable cancer, and as the lead doctor continues to expound on their findings, the woman just sat listening to these long-winded explanations with a blank expression on her face.
After the lead doctor had finished, the medical student with him asked to stay behind and proceeded to communicate in simple, relatable, and comprehensible terms what the previous doctor had just said. And it was during that moment when the woman finally understood what her condition was, and she responded with tears running down her face.
Words are useful insofar as they are able to convey the message intended by a sender to the recipient, or by the speaker to the audience. If we simply use smart-sounding words to appear smart ourselves without thinking about whether the listener will understand what we mean by what we said, then that's not good communication.
Alda asserts that when we make a connection with the person to whom we are speaking, and they understood what we meant, that's when we are able to communicate properly. The mirroring exercise that the medical student and the woman did, i.e. as the woman cried because she understood what her reality was at that point, so the medical student also cried because there was a profound sense of connection that happened through their conversation.
We often experience a temptation to sound smarter by using hifalutin' words in our speech, but it would be pointless. I have heard this concept at least twice which says that truly smart people are those who can make complex ideas simple to understand by those with whom they are shared.
To demonstrate one's understanding of complex ideas and concepts, it is a matter of practicality that one should be able to explain those complex things to even a five-year-old, and help them understand what it means. Because then, you know for certain that you have a good grasp of the essence of those ideas and concepts.
So yes, just as Alda mentions in the video, it's fun to use jargon but only when the other person is able to catch the meaning as well. Otherwise, there is no point in having a conversation using those words. It would be much better to stick with simpler words and terms, so that you can focus on progressing the conversation with your counterpart and come at a more productive or fruitful outcome.
And in that sense, there's really a great need for empathy in order for us to have good communication with the goal of making our partner or counterpart understand what we're saying, whether it be a point of view, a factual summary, or an explanation of a concept, event, or something else. In so doing, we can arrive at conclusions, paradigm shifts, and possible solutions for whatever it is we're talking about without much misunderstanding in between.
(Video credit: Big Think)