When I was at university, I always thought there were two kinds of lecturers.
The first kind would march in, slap their notes on the lectern, and reel off an uninterrupted monologue for sixty minutes.
You could have swapped the entire lecture hall for a row of cardboard cut-outs and they wouldn’t have noticed.
And then there was the second kind.
Those who looked up, engaged, approached the topic from our viewpoint, and walked us through it. They paused. They asked questions. They considered whether we were with them or racing to catch up.
With the first kind, I never felt like I was needed – and as a result, I found it much harder to engage with what they were saying.
But the second group? They lit a fire in our bellies.
They didn’t deal in any less complexity, they simply made it understandable – and they made us care.
Why leaders hide behind jargon
I think about those lecturers a lot when I’m coaching. Because leaders fall into the same two types.
There are the ones who mistake complexity for intelligence — using dense phrases, corporate clichés and three-letter acronyms because it feels safer. It gives the illusion of control and keeps them sounding clever.
And then there are the leaders who let themselves speak like human beings.
So why do so many leaders hide behind jargon?
Partly, it’s habit – something we can blame those university lecturers for.
Partly, it’s fear. Of oversimplifying, seeming less expert, or being challenged.
Plain English is a leadership skill
Whatever the cause, needlessly complicated language sends a subtle (but very loud) message:
- I’m intelligent – and I need you to know that.
- I’m more concerned about impressing you than engaging you.
- I’m not entirely sure what I mean… so I’ll disguise it in something that sounds clever.
Jargon doesn’t build trust, it doesn’t inspire, and it certainly doesn’t energise a team.
There aren’t many people who can get excited about “driving alignment across a strategy cascade”. Even if they’re confident they know what that means.
But what if you told them what the next six months could feel like, and show them where you’re going and why?
Plain English isn’t dumbing down.
It’s about stripping away the fluff, keeping the nuance, and guiding someone from confusion to clarity without making them feel small along the way.
It requires confidence and humility. And it requires you to truly understand what you’re trying to say.
Remember: Strong leaders make the complex accessible.
Weak leaders make the simple complicated.
In coaching, plain English is essential
In coaching, clarity is the difference between transformation and an expensive chat.
When someone is trying to make sense of their role, their frustrations, their blind spots, or their growth, the last thing they need is more abstraction. They need honesty, simplicity, and a shared language that helps them see something new.
Plain English creates that space. It opens doors that jargon keeps shut.
Because real change happens when people finally understand what’s been sitting under the surface.
And that only happens when we stop performing intelligence, and start communicating it.
Fancy a chat?
Let me speak plainly – I’ve spent decades helping business owners and senior executives find the way forward.
I’d love to talk about how I might be able to help you get the kind of clarity and impact that Martin Dell now enjoys:
“Without a doubt, coaching with Chris has been THE most impactful activity in my business life.”
If that sounds like something you’d benefit from too, drop me a line.
Kind Regards,
Chris