You open your inbox — and there it is: a brand email that reads like a legal document.
"We synergize scalable growth solutions for enterprise-grade ecosystems."
You squint. You sigh. You click away.
This isn't a problem of spelling or grammar. It's a disconnect. Words meant to convince instead push people away.
The problem is bigger than one awkward email. Too many brands speak at people, not with them. In the quest to sound professional, they hide behind buzzwords, abstractions, and corporate jargon. The result? Messages that are grammatically correct but emotionally flat.
At TUMBUH, we've seen it happen — and yes, we've even caught ourselves doing it. Despite our philosophy of keeping growth human, clever, and unconventional, we sometimes slip into the robotic default. Why? Because jargon feels safe. It feels like professional armor. But the truth is simple: armor might protect, but it also isolates. Connection requires openness, not shields.
Why Jargon Backfires
Jargon feels safe. It signals expertise to people who already speak the same language. But for most audiences, it creates distance, confusion, and suspicion.
Cognitive strain and broken trust
When an audience has to decode your message, they expend mental effort. Psychologists refer to this phenomenon as cognitive strain: the more complex something is to process, the more the brain resists it. Daniel Kahneman explains in Thinking, Fast and Slow that effortful language interrupts intuition and reduces engagement.
Research supports this. A 2019 study showed that jargon-heavy messaging reduces comprehension, increases perceived risk, and lowers willingness to act. The more technical the words, the less people trust the source.
Bottom line: if your reader needs a translator to understand you, you've lost before the idea lands.
Jargon creates emotional distance
Tone matters as much as meaning. "Leverage," "optimize," and "synergize" are predictable conversation killers. They make people feel like outsiders. Real connection happens when language signals empathy, not expertise.
Quick test: would you actually say the sentence aloud to a client over coffee? If it sounds odd in speech, it will also read oddly. People respond to a voice that feels like a person, not a brand brochure.
If your words force people to decode, they'll simply disengage.
The Psychology Behind the Trap
If jargon is so damaging, why do so many brands — and leaders — continue to use it? Because jargon meets hidden psychological needs: belonging, protection, and status.
Belonging and status
Language builds tribes. Using industry jargon signals that you are an insider. Words like "synergy," "verticals," or "paradigms" function like badges — they say, "I speak your language." Inside the circle, shorthand works. Outside, it excludes.
At the same time, sociolinguists note that complex language often signals higher status. But audiences today are skeptical. Nielsen Norman Group's usability research indicates that readers tend to disengage from jargon-heavy content, rating it as less trustworthy and abandoning it more quickly—the irony: words meant to elevate status end up lowering credibility.
Protection from vulnerability
There's another reason jargon persists: it feels safer. Plain language can seem exposed. Saying "We help companies grow" may seem simple, perhaps too simple. Saying "We optimize scalable ecosystems for growth" feels polished and serious.
It's the difference between showing up in jeans and a T-shirt or wearing a suit of armor. The armor hides your humanity — and your connection.
What Brands Can Do Instead
Stopping the robot talk is one thing. Replacing it with human language — that's the art. Here are practices we use and recommend at TUMBUH:
Use language people actually speak
Write how you would say it in conversation.
- Replace abstractions with concrete images.
- Use active verbs, not abstract nouns.
- Prefer "help you grow" to "optimize synergies."
If it doesn't feel natural to speak aloud, it probably won't feel natural to read.
Layer meaning, don't bury it
Don't ask one sentence to do everything. Instead, build in scaffolding:
- Start with a strong headline.
- Add a short example or metaphor.
- Reinforce with the core message.
This rhythm makes complex ideas easier to absorb.
Emphasize intentionally
Bold or highlight one keyword per headline or subheading to guide attention. We've tested this internally: emphasizing the right word (for example, "growth" or "habit") improves recall and clarity.
Test for clarity
Read your draft aloud. Where you stumble, simplify. Then ask someone outside your field to paraphrase your message. If they struggle, your meaning is hidden. Simplify further.
Takeaway: people don't trust brands because they sound "professional." They trust brands that sound human.
Our Own Struggles at TUMBUH
We're not immune to this problem. Early drafts of our materials leaned on safe, polished language. One tagline read: "Delivering optimized frameworks for sustainable business ecosystems."
When we tested it, the feedback was blunt: "I don't understand what you actually do."
That was our wake-up call. We stripped it back: "We help businesses grow in ways that last." Simple, direct, human. That version stuck — and it continues to guide how we write today.
Clarity ripples outward: when trust grows, so do relationships — and results.
The Ripple Effect of Clarity
When a brand sheds the armor of jargon, people lean in. They trust more quickly. They remember more easily. They engage more willingly.
At TUMBUH, we call this the Circle of Growth: when clarity grows, trust follows. When trust grows, relationships grow. And when relationships grow, businesses grow.
Clarity isn't decoration. It's the foundation of connection. It's what turns a brand from a brochure into a voice, from an email into a conversation, from a company into a community.
And that's the paradox brands must embrace: when you stop trying to sound "professional," you start sounding trustworthy. And when you sound trustworthy, you grow.
