In my opinion, product names fall under a different category to processes, job titles and methods. Even so, if you were explaining what a phillips screw was to someone with limited hardware knowledge, you would likely describe it as a screw with an ‘x’ or ‘crosshead’ on top.

Personally, I think ‘crosshead’ is a more effective name because it describes a key aspect of the object, something that people can look for, similar to hex screws. Naming a product after someone is a nice sentiment, but it does very little to help someone remember or identify something.

Yes, you are correct in saying jargon has benefits of being shorthand for people inside the industry, but we end up using it all the time. It becomes habitual, even around people who don’t understand it. I don’t have a perfect formula for what it sounds like to avoid jargon in everyday speech, but I think the key is just being aware of it in the first place. It might be convenient and fast to use jargon for ourselves, but we risk excluding others and failing to communicate effectively.

I think it’s also important to consider how this impacts new business development, particularly during the situation we are in now (COVID-19). We should be breaking down barriers between industries that could potentially overlap during this crisis, not continuing to build them up.

I strongly believe that finding a common language and making more of an effort to simplify the words we use to communicate will significantly increase our chances of achieving this.