Great SMEs master the vocabulary of their trade. It’s vital that they know the grammar and syntax of their domain and that they can articulate ideas with the correct language. Vocabulary is a key indicator of expertise. People judge you by the words you use. One of the quickest ways to destroy your credibility as an expert is by not using proper industry jargon.

Many years ago, I was with a colleague at a large industry event. We were listening to a technology reporter talk about a new computer system. When the reporter referenced the hard drives in the system, he said it contained “S-C-S-I drives.” I chuckled to myself because even though the acronym is spelled SCSI, it was commonly pronounced “skuh-zee.” My colleague, on the other hand, was aghast. He looked at me and said, “Th is guy has no idea what he’s talking about.” He then walked way, dismissing the journalist and everything he said. The journalist lost all credibility by not knowing one acronym.

So, if you’re going to use jargon, make sure you use it correctly, especially in front of a knowledgeable audience. Of course, just because you know jargon doesn’t mean you should always use it. Many SMEs tend to overuse technical language. They have the misconception that the more jargon a person uses, the more knowledgeable they appear. The more obscure the acronyms, the better. The truly valuable expert knows that accurate understanding is far more important than technical mumbo jumbo. If your audience knows the jargon, then fine, use it. But with larger audiences or with audiences comprising people with varied skill levels, there is almost always someone who doesn’t know what you are talking about.

Using jargon will not buttress your genius or fully conceal a deficiency in knowledge, either. Far too often, aspiring experts hide their limited knowledge beneath layers of complicated, abstract, or voluminous language.

Acronym-laden comments often confound rather than enlighten an audience. Great experts don’t spew jargon. They don’t yammer about complex items hoping the audience will acquiesce. Great experts employ words that people will understand.