insight tag: Critical thinking

Dina Rashid and Skander Ben Ahmed are part of the Rouya Storytelling department and think about language and words daily. As people who had not worked in a consultancy before, they realised that there were many terms and phrases around them that they had never heard before. So, they decided to make a list and have a candid conversation about language, influence, and their personal experiences.

Dina Rashid: Okay, so just for the record, you and I have been making a list of terms or phrases that we’ve heard being used by our colleagues and peers, which we’ve called “consultancy speak”, and we’ve decided that we should sit and have a thoughtful conversation about it. So I want to start with… how do you think this “consultancy speak” phenomenon started?

Skander Ben Ahmed: Yeah, I mean, it’s normal to use words to describe regular processes, but in specialist words, for example, a surgeon or doctor may describe a bruise as “trauma as a result of an impact”. So I think maybe from that perspective, I can understand the necessity.

Dina Rashid: So I did a little bit of research. Big consultancy firms, back in the day, started using these terms in their publications, reports, etc., and those terms caught on and became part of the everyday language used by consultants and “business people”. And as you said, it’s for the sake of accuracy. But I can’t help but feel as if, quite often, it’s not very conducive to success, and people on forums usually talk about how awkward they feel or how they worry about starting to use these in everyday life. What do you think is the advantage of using this industry jargon?

Skander Ben Ahmed: Hmm, so this raises an important question. Is consultancy speak important when talking consultant to consultant, or consultant-client? If it’s consultant to consultant, maybe it helps to ensure understanding and “alignment”. Although consultant-client relationships can give the client a sense of security, I can see consultancy speak backfiring, creating a disconnect between client and consultant and possibly leading to distrust. “Is this person being genuine, or are they just playing with words?”

Dina Rashid: That’s so true! One of the things that came up when I was looking at why people use this language was that it allows consultants to frame things in a polite way. So, it’s always masking the more straightforward, “blunt” way of speaking.

Skander Ben Ahmed: Being diplomatic.

Dina Rashid: Let’s imagine you were setting up an interpretation business, and you hired a consultancy to make a comms plan, and they come to you, and they start saying stuff like, “We’re putting together a micro-inspirations deck”, etc. How would you perceive that?

Skander Ben Ahmed: I would be nervous, maybe even a bit skeptical of the process.

Dina Rashid: Would it have made you feel like they know what they’re talking about?

Skander Ben Ahmed: Maybe a part of me would think, “These guys are experts, no need to worry.” You know what I mean? If they used plain English or Arabic, I would feel more comfortable. But I think a healthy mix of both might be better. It’d be beneficial for me, too, as a layperson, to hear these industry words. What about you?

Dina Rashid: I’ll be honest. If I hired a consultancy and they used terms I didn’t understand to communicate certain concepts with me, I would doubt how effective they are. But it’s interesting because I think my primary interest in using consultancy speak is that it stops people from underestimating me or makes me feel more secure. I don’t find it particularly efficient otherwise, and it’s not how I normally speak, so there is a little “pushback” on my end to fully adopting this lingo. This brings me to my next question: Is this something you wish someone had spoken to you about when you started working?

Skander Ben Ahmed: No, not really. It’s part of the learning experience, and as someone who’s interested in language, I found it amusing.

Dina Rashid: I definitely would have wanted some more clarity before I started because there were several times at first when even using the word “deck” instead of “presentation” would confuse me initially. I would just pretend that I understood what people were talking about. I imagine the people we work with, who have been using this language as part of their jobs for a very long time, might have a different view on this.

Skander Ben Ahmed: Yeah, or maybe they feel the same but don’t feel that the workplace is the right place for them to speak about their views, right?

Dina Rashid: That’s very astute of you. Okay, I’ve put a list together of some words and phrases to test you on. They’re common, but maybe not ones you may have encountered yourself. The first one is “on the beach”.

Skander Ben Ahmed: To put a hold on something, right? Like, “We considered doing that last year, but it’s been on the beach ever since.”

Dina Rashid: Hmm, okay, so I’ll give you an example. “Skander’s been on the beach this month.”

Skander Ben Ahmed: He’s been sitting on the bench. He’s taking a back seat.

Dina Rashid: Yeah! He’s taking time off or not getting any clients at the moment. Another water-related one is “Boiling the ocean”. I quite like this one.

Skander Ben Ahmed: Being too ambitious, trying to boil the ocean?

Dina Rashid: You’re on the right track.

Skander Ben Ahmed: Like moving mountains? 

Dina Rashid: That makes so much sense even though that’s wrong, which is why I feel like none of this is accurate language. In any case, an example could be, “Don’t boil the ocean for an exact number; just give me an estimate.”

Skander Ben Ahmed: Don’t overthink it, maybe? Don’t bend over backwards.

Dina Rashid: Yeah, you got it! Okay, we’ve already heard “being agnostic” about something, “parking lot”, and “spicy worries” in our jobs. But possibly my favourite, which we haven’t heard yet, and I hope I hear it out in the wild one day, is “double-click”. What do you think that means?

Skander Ben Ahmed: Haha, honestly, I’m not sure.

Dina Rashid: An example would be, “Can we pause for a moment and double-click on that point?” It’s just so unusual, but it’s great because it seemingly lacks poetry; it’s just about double-clicking on something. I love it.

Skander Ben Ahmed: It almost seems like a different genre of language altogether. It does make me question, though, whether these terms only work in English or are transferable to other languages as well.

Dina Rashid: Have you come across people using specific consultancy speak in Arabic?

Skander Ben Ahmed: Not really, no. There are a lot of proverbs in Arabic, and they are one of the best ways to establish understanding and deliver meaning. For example, a very commonly used proverb, which is actually a verse from the Holy Quran, is “ʿAsā an takrahū shay’an wa huwa khayrun lakum”. It means that you may initially dislike something and it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Dina Rashid: That’s a great sentiment that works well in a consultancy environment. It may be that consultancy speak is an English-centric thing. But I imagine even in other European languages, people probably use these words interspersed with their regular language, like they would throw in a “circle back”.

Skander Ben Ahmed: In French, they always borrow English terms, like team building and start-up. Do you think you have to go to school, so to speak, to learn these terms?

Dina Rashid: There is a website that is a dictionary for many of these languages, but interestingly, some I didn’t understand even after reading the dictionary.

Skander Ben Ahmed: Much comes from exposure and learning to use these words.

Dina Rashid: Yeah, absolutely. As we wrap up, my last question is: Do you want to continue with our little exercise of sharing these terms as we come across them?

Skander Ben Ahmed: Yes! Because it gives us another shade of understanding regarding the field in which we work. It’s awareness; it’s been like a fun learning experience for me.

Dina Rashid: It’s helped me own a little bit of that insecurity that I sometimes felt and turn it into something that I can learn from, but also just acknowledging that this phenomenon exists has been helpful too, that I’m not the only one who finds this intriguing in my head. Hopefully, this blog will help other people feel that way, too.