“You Know What I Mean.”

There are a lot of expressions that we use in everyday life that have lost their original meaning but that retain their utility. For example, the expression “rule of thumb” supposedly refers to the diameter of the stick — equivalent to the diameter of a husband’s thumb — with which a man was legally allowed to beat his wife! Here’s one that is a bit more benign, but is quickly becoming as arcane — when was the last time you really “dialed” a phone with a rotary dial? One expression that may be losing its original meaning soon, with the advent of eReaders like Kindles and iPads, is “turning the page” which is really just “advancing to the next screen.” But my guess is, that despite the reality, our great-grandchildren will still be “turning the page” — linguistically, if not on paper.

There are lots more, but as you can see, morals change, technology changes, but our language lags behind. But with each expression, we speak this way because everyone else understands the meaning of what we are saying, regardless of the original meaning of the phrase.

How is this a career topic? Do you speak about nonprofits and fundraising in terms that people can understand — that are not arcane and from a different time or specialty? This is important, because like I’ve said before, most fundraisers and other nonprofit leaders are not hired by people who do the same thing as you do. Many times board members, accountants and program specialists make the final decision, and they don’t speak your language. So next time you talk about your work, “turn the page” so that everyone can understand.