Have you realized that each social group, be it a local community, a sports club a particular industry or a specific company, has its own vernacular tongue. In particular, it tends to use words and acronyms whose sense is only understandable by the initiated. We often underestimate the community power created by this shared understanding – and the exclusion power for those that don’t understand it.
Which means that an outsider’s first focus should be to learn that specific tongue, so as to be integrated. The power of integration brought by the capability to speak the community tongue is incredible and underestimated.
As a consultant I do enter many different client organizations and learning the specific words, expressions and acronyms is the first priority. Once they are known and used properly, I feel integrated in the community, and they feel I am part of them, which is quite useful.
Hat tip to Alain Carcassès for the discussion and the original idea
