Vague language only works when dealing with competent people

# Vague language only works when dealing with competent people When you’re dealing with competent people and you use vague language they can usually figure out how that translates into action. In this case it can be good for making people feel good and leaving yourself room to maneuver. My hunch is that the habit by “”important people” of using vague language began during an era of high competence era where it didn’t have strong effects on things being accomplished but then became [[Suitcase Handle Word]] or [[Cargo cult]]. When you squint at them, sentences like “We will align stakeholders and get more buy-in” don’t actually *mean* anything by default. They instead code for actions that competent people would know to take. [The language of this briefing about transformative research is so vague and led to no real change.](https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/opp_advisory/briefings/nov2007/transformative_research_ab.pdf) In retrospect this note is the inadvertent dual of [[Precise language enables progress]]. ### Related - [[Stagnation]] - [[Precise communication enables other people to make decisions]]  [Web URL for this note](http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Vague+language+only+works+when+dealing+with+competent+people) [Comment on this note](http://via.hypothes.is/http://notes.benjaminreinhardt.com/Vague+language+only+works+when+dealing+with+competent+people)