Avoid jargon in your communications and press releases: 11 words to delete, and more as replacements
College Sports Information Directors of America
See online: 11 words to delete from press releases, by Becky Gaylord via ragan.com
The advice to avoid jargon in writing is age-old and common. It's also smart.
We send press releases, blog posts, and other content aimed at particular audiences, because we want people to read and grasp the information and act on it in some way. That can’t happen if they have to struggle, even a little bit, to understand the message.
Knowing we’re supposed to banish jargon is the easy part. Doing it, though, can be excruciatingly hard—especially when a deadline looms.
So, here are 11 of the worst culprits from corporate communication. In my view, these words and phrases should never appear in a press release, email, or other tool used to convey information.
Here, too, are suggestions for replacements for each one. The substitutes are not exact synonyms in many cases, but they are simple and clear words that could work in place of the jargon, depending on the context. Next time you get stuck and can’t find a way around “mission-critical," just take out this list and try to swap that phrase with something clearer.
- utilize ? use, show, fill, take, apply, push, work
- end-user ? client, customer, audience, shopper, buyer
- synergy ? team, powerful, effective, stronger, more, together
- mission-critical ? main, big, major, central, chief, crucial
- win/win ? good, smart, strong, clear, sound, skillful
- value-added ? worthwhile, effective, better, helpful, ahead
- ideate ? create, think, craft, whir, plan, test, solve
- operationalize ? make, do, put, carry, finish, use, see, work
- scalable ? grow, expand, wide, more, big, spread, include
- deliverables ? results, value, outcome, change, effect
- outside the box ? different, bold, striking, unique, brave, exciting
Also, if jargon isn’t tripping you up as much as writer’s block is, here’s another post to help you break free and get unstuck.
Becky Gaylord worked as a reporter for more than 15 years in Washington, D.C., Cleveland, and Sydney, Australia, before she launched the consulting practice, Gaylord LLC. You can read Becky’s blog Framing What Works, where a version of this story first appeared.
Related News
- CSC membership approves Executive Board of Directors for 2026-27; Matt Panto of The Ivy League to serve as 73rd CSC president
May 27, 2026 - CSC with PC: April updates from President Patrick Crawford
April 29, 2026 - CSC Unite 2026: Virtual Business Meeting
April 28, 2026
Calendar
Important Dates
06/23/26
/
11:59 P.M.
M/W At-Large Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
06/30/26
/
11:59 P.M.
M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
07/07/26
/
12:00 P.M.
W At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
07/08/26
/
12:00 P.M.
M At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
07/14/26
/
12:00 P.M.
M Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
06/07/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/08/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/09/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/09/26
/
11:59 P.M.
Baseball Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
06/10/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/16/26
/
12:00 P.M.
Softball Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
06/16/26
/
12:00 P.M.
M/W At-Large Academic All-District Released; National Voting Begins (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
06/16/26
/
11:59 P.M.
M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Nomination Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
06/23/26
/
12:00 P.M.
M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-District Released; National Voting Begins (NCAA, NAIA)
06/23/26
/
12:00 P.M.
Baseball Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
06/23/26
/
11:59 P.M.
M/W At-Large Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
06/30/26
/
11:59 P.M.
M/W Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
07/07/26
/
12:00 P.M.
W At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
07/08/26
/
12:00 P.M.
M At-Large Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA, College Division)
07/14/26
/
12:00 P.M.
M Track & Field/Cross Country Academic All-America Announced (NCAA, NAIA)
06/07/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/08/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/09/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas
06/09/26
/
11:59 P.M.
Baseball Academic All-America National Ballot Voting Deadline (NCAA, NAIA)
06/10/26
/
All Day
2026 CSC Unite Convention in Las Vegas