OnLanguage: Disambigu-what?
Disambigu-what?
So there I was, minding my own damn business, and cruising the web, as I am wont to do from time to time (I call it playing hooky from the Universe. . .nobody knows why). And there before me was a word I’d never seen before. Disambiguation. From the Latin for “I’m making this up all on my own.” Disambiguation, the web tells us, means, um, something like “clearing up the confusion.” Okay, not really. It sort of means not leaving your intended meaning to chance. At least that’s what I gathered.
It got me to thinking about all the stuff we do to ourselves as business-people to not only aim at our own feet, but shoot right at them. Sadly, we rarely miss. In the process of trying to sound all businessy, or professional, or both, we sometimes cloud the meaning of what we’re trying to say.
Take me, and my deal. My company has been called “Southwest Esthetic Services” since I formed it. . .in fact, that’s why I formed it. Because I wanted to say “Hey, world. . .here I am, ready to, you know, provide services to the Esthetics Industry.” And that’s great if you know what “esthetic” means, but most people don’t. And, especially in the real world, most people who probably need to know what I do, uh. . . don’t.
How do I know? Because for more years than I care to admit right now, fully 70 to 80 percent of people, when I tell them either what I do or who I am (in the sense of my company), their eyes glaze over, and then, invariably, they utter the words you never, ever, never want to hear: “What’s that?”
In a sense, I think most of us think that’s a good thing. After all, you DO want people to ask you to tell them your story, and there’s something to be said for having that opening. . .you get more time to pitch. And when I’m talking to other Estheticians, it IS a good thing. And, truth be told, I mostly work for Estheticians, or vendors who SELL to Estheticians, so, all in all, it’s probably not a BAD thing per se.
Nevertheless, there’s something to be said for being clear with the whole world as to what it is you do. When you meet Harry the Electrician, you know, immediately, that he’s an Electrician. Bob the Mechanic. Sam the Nurse. Polly the Plumber. Mikey the Chef. It’s immediate, and resonant, and salient, and impactful. Also, you’ve already framed what you do in a context that the potential client (or, in my case, victim. . .I mean, alleged victim), understands.
When we disambiguate, we make what could otherwise be confusing, or time-wasting, both less confusing and more efficient, at least from the standpoint of the potential client. Think about it. While the term isn’t really hard to understand, Esthetician isn’t the most common word in the world. Even our brothers and sisters in the cosmetology world mostly call themselves hairdressers, hairstylists, colorists, or whatever. Yes, some refer to themselves as cosmetologists, but most of the people I know in that field say they’re “beauticians.” Got it. Beauty. Pretty. Me.
And what about Skincare? Well, people get it. Immediately. They know skin. They know care. Skincare. Almost as easy as Lunch Lady (“Hello, I’m Clara, and I’m a Lunch Lady”). They just get it.
Does disambiguation work? I dunno, only time will tell. But I changed the name of my company to Southwest Skincare, and my title to Skincare Specialist. And already, I’ve noticed a difference. I spend less time describing myself (“Whut the hell’s that?”), and more time describing what I do and why a potential client should care. Am I more than just, um, skincare? Well, yeah. But mostly people don’t care, and, anyway, I now have more time to expand on what “else” I do besides skincare.
Now, if only I didn’t crack up every time I said, or wrote. . . disambiguation.
30-30-30
