The UK Experience by Malcolm Morley*
It was once said that professionals create a conspiracy against non professionals by the development and use of language. Look at any professional journal and you will see that this is true. Language excludes through professionals making language exclusive. The public sector is no different.
Sometimes, however, reality does dawn. I recently met with a senior civil servant who, having tortuously expressed herself, stopped and said: “What a lot of … I used to speak a language that everyone could understand until I moved here.”
The problem is that we get trapped through a desire to conform, to be accepted in the exclusive professional/sector/organisational society in which we work. We also have a natural inclination to shorten every term. Economy, efficiency and effectiveness become the three Es. Challenge, compare, compete and consult become the four Cs. The newly formed Department for Communities and Local Government becomes DCLG or DeCloG!
How accessible is a report full of acronyms and presentations full of language that only the few can understand? Through the use of our own language we run the risk of excluding those that we are trying to support, lead and help. As a test I thought that I would share the following with you and invite you to see if you could work out what these initials stand for (answers are below):
ABI, ABS, ACPO, ACU, ADCU, AQS, ASB, ASBO, BGOP, BiTC, BME, BVI, BVPP, CBHA, CDRP, CLSP, CRE, CYPS, EAZ, HAZ, HSP, IDeA, LNRS, NRU, OFSTED, PAT, RSL, RSU, SAZ, SEU, SITF, TPU, WFTC.
The above are a sample of the 134 to appear in a national report on social exclusion! Examples can be found in many Council reports and publications.
A key objective for both Central and Local Government in the UK is community engagement and tackling social exclusion. How are we to engage with the communities that we serve or to tackle social exclusion if we create our own barriers to that engagement and exclude through the language that we use?
Some of the most difficult Council meetings I have experienced have been associated with the frustration of members of the public not understanding either the procedures for the conduct of Council business or the terminology being used. This frustration has often turned into disruption. When members of the public attend Council meetings it is generally because they care about an issue that is being debated/decided. Too frequently Council meetings are poorly attended and we express our frustration. Too frequently members of the public feel excluded by the procedure and terminology used in meetings.
Leaders have to be able to adopt different leadership styles for the situation that they are in and the people with whom they are dealing. Communication requires the same flexibility.
Perhaps we need to keep signs on our desks that state: Think of the audience. This might make us think twice about the language we use in our reports and how we communicate with our customers.
*Malcolm Morley is Chief Executive of Harlow District Council and can be contacted via the Editor, email info@lgfocus.com.au The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of his employer.
List of abbreviations: ABI Area Based Initiative, ABS Adult Basic Skills, ACPO Association of Chief Police Officers, ACU Active Community Unit, ADCU Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit, AQS Air Quality Strategy, ASB Anti-social behaviour, ASBO Anti-Social Behaviour Order, BGOP Better Government for Older People, BiTC Business in the Community, BME Black and Minority Ethnic, BVI Best Value Indicators, BVPP Best Value Performance Plans, CBHA Community-Based Housing Association, CDRP Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, CLSP Community Legal Service Partnership, CRE Commission for Racial Equality, CYPS Children and Young People’s Services, EAZ Education Action Zone, HAZ Health Action Zone, HSP Healthy Schools Programme, IDeA Improvement and Development Agency, LNRS Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, NRU Neighbourhood Renewal Unit, OFSTED Office for Standards in Education, PAT Policy Action Team, RSL Registered Social Landlord, RSU Rough Sleepers Unit, SAZ Sport Action Zone, SEU Social Exclusion Unit, SITF Social Investment Task Force, TPU Teenage Pregnancy Unit, WFTC Working Families’ Tax Credit.
