CorpComms Magazine

The Local Government Association has banned 250 words deemed 'impenetrable' from being used in correspondence with the public.

Beautifully meaningless phrases like 'predictors of beaconicity' and 'goldfish bowl facilitated conversation' will no longer grace public sector leaflets or telephone calls with their staff.

The idea that the words are being used deliberately to perplex and out-manoeuvre residents has dismayed LGA management and campaigners for the use of plain English.

Chairman of the Local Government Association, Dame Margaret Eaton, said: 'The public sector must not hide behind impenetrable jargon and phrases. Why do we have to have a 'webinar trialogue for the wellderly' when the public sector could just 'talk about caring for the elderly' instead?

'Any organisation that spends taxpayers' money has a duty, not only to provide value for money to local people, but also to tell them what they get for the money they pay...We do not pretend to be perfect, but as this list shows, we are striving to make sure that people get the chance to understand what services we provide.'

For those who have grown fond of these haze-inducing phrases, do not despair. This may not be a final farewell. Many of them appeared on a list of 100 banned words published roughly this time of year in 2008, and another 200-strong list compiled in 2009.

Internal communications will not be subject to the ban, so if you find yourself craving a bit of  'meaningful reusable interactivity' and 'holistic governance', there are still places you can go.

A few other gems you may have boggled at before:

'Headroom for change'

'Hereditament'

'Thought shower'

'Gateway review'

'Cautiously welcome'

'Citizen touchpoints'

'Re-weaving'

And the truly intriguing, 'Pump priming'

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