How Language Routinely Inhibits HR
I’ve seen throughout my career how HR folks routinely struggle with data. Big. Small. Structured. Unstructured. It doesn’t matter.
And the same holds true with communicating about data. It’s hardly an exaggeration to claim that the topic isn’t exactly in the sweet spot of most HR professionals.
At least you’d think that conferences designed to increase awareness, understanding, and, ultimately and most important, action on Big Data would be able to clearly communicate their messages.
Think again.
Here’s the front-page copy from the Big Data HR Forum:
As an experienced HR Professional you are facing a perfect storm of global macro competition, shrinking HR resources, fierce competition for superior talent, disruptive HR technologies, and an explosion of available workforce data, all the while your CEO is asking you for more and more input to make faster and better business decisions. In today’s new economy, data is the new oil and big data projects when implemented well can give you the answers to questions that make you a power player in your organization’s strategic planning process, making you an invaluable strategic asset with access to actionable business insights that improve talent acquisition, retention, development and organizational performance.
The first sentence contains 53 words (and many lofty ones to boot), only to be outdone by the second (56). That’s just way too much to swallow, never mind truly understand.
What’s a better way for attendees (both real and potential) to truly receive the conference’s message? Funny you should ask:
HR professionals today are facing a perfect storm of sorts. The business world is downright chaotic. Organizations have to deal with increasing global competition, shrinking resources, a perennial war for talent, disruptive technologies, and an explosion of available workforce data. If that’s not enough, CEOs are asking for greater input—and are not afraid to go elsewhere if HR cannot act in a timely and valuable manner.
In today’s new economy, data is often called the new oil. Big Data can help answer increasingly important questions, but just what is it? Where to begin? And how does one separate the signal from the noise?
The Big Data HR Forum will address these essential questions. It will demonstrate how HR finally can get off of the sidelines and truly participate talent acquisition, retention, compensation, organizational development, and other key process.
Simon Says: Simplify the language and you just may see real results.
There’s tremendous opportunity to convey true understand if a pesky thing like language didn’t get in the way.
Simplify the language and you just may see real results. Little real understanding has ever resulted from contrived, confusing language.
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