The world is full of acronyms, TLAs (three letter acronyms*) and abbreviations, and over the years I’ve been compiling my own dictionary (it’s extensive).
Is it just a personal passion project because I love words?
No...
It's mainly because I hate the blasted things. I avoid them wherever possible, but I've made it my business to understand what they mean. Why?
Often, we get carried away with the trends in our own network, business or industry that we assume everyone knows what we’re talking about. They don’t. And that can alienate people - sales prevention technique 101. How can you effectively communicate with people if they haven't got a clue what you're saying?
Ironically, one of the worst offending sectors is marketing. I’ve seen so many people (newbies and experts) nodding in agreement but when asked to explain, couldn’t or had to hastily Google. The fear of appearing unknowledgeable only exacerbates the use of them as people assume they should use them to appear ‘in the know’. (There's a great BBC article discussing the wider use of jargon in different settings here including comments from Gretchen McCulloch, internet linguist and author of Because Internet.)
I’ve worked for acronym-rich businesses, sectors and industries and I'm usually the one stopping to ask the awkward question. It's not stupid to ask and learn, however, it is silly to carry on and save face. I ask so I can make sure I understand everything, that I’m doing what they’re asking, have all the relevant information and can share that information with the end user in the best possible way.
I’ve compiled my favourites below, in no particular order. Some you may know, others could be new to you:
OOO = out of office
OOH = out of home
TOV = tone of voice
SOW = statement of work
KYC = know your customer
FABs = features and benefits
POS (no, not that one!) = point of sale
COP/COB = close of play/close of business
RAMS = risk assessment and method statement
VHB = very high bond
TOC = table of contents
IOT = internet of things
SAAS = software as a service
COD = contracts of difference
RO = renewable obligations
BAU = business as usual
SAP = sustainability action plan
BIM = building information modelling
Any other interesting ones to add?
Fun facts: Acronym - initial letters from group of words make a new abbreviated word, and you pronounce the letters as a word, eg. IKEA, NATO, NASA.
Initialism - initials don't make up another word and you still pronounce the letters, eg. UN, BBC, WTF.
So all those *TLAs are really TLIs
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