Worst corporate jargon of the week: Thought shower
Offender: Thought shower
Every one of us has been an email chain which is borderline unintelligible for the amount of corporate lingo thrown in there. At City PM, we’re taking a stand and calling out the worst jargon which travels around the City faster than you can drink an overpriced pint. This week: thought shower.
What does it mean?
A thought shower is “a discussion in which new ideas are generated and discussed”, according to Collins Dictionary, though the definition “a discussion” could have sufficed. One may also enjoy a similarly vigorous “idea shower” and it is thought the “neuron-stimulating bath” may soon come into the vogue.
Coined in the early 2000s, the term took off in 2012, when the formerly favoured “brainstorm” was deemed by some, including Tunbridge Wells council who banned the term, as insensitive to those with epilepsy. City PM cares not for the culture war and would happily banish them both.
Who uses it?
Linkedin aficionados with an enthusiasm for everything. Usually found by a whiteboard armed with copious amounts of spare time.
What could it be confused with?
- A dystopian weather quirk
- A lobotomy
Should we be worried?
Undoubtedly, said thought showers are the exact arena in which such deplorable uses of language are cooked up. You can bet the thought leader, town hall and fireside chat were all the product of such cleansing hoo-has. Shutting off the tap is critical to stopping the jargonous tide.
How do we get rid of it?
Grab a loofah, jump into the shower and rub a dub dub that jargon away.