I have a vision that tens of thousands of years from now, when the remnants of surviving man evolve from the Earth's latest ice age, an explorer will stumble across the ruins of a long lost civilisation.
Many scholars will undoubtedly study the fragments of documents that are found preserved in a sealed chamber and whilst they will be able to decipher much of these important scrolls – for example words like ‘built-in fire protection', ‘standards' and ‘third party certification' – they will be completely baffled by other parts of the text, which by comparison will appear as complete gibberish. I am referring to words like ‘EOTA' and ‘CPD', etc. But do we have to wait tens of thousands of years to be confused? I suspect not
Acronyms, acronyms … acronyms, even the word is awful and they are by no means a modern creation. As a child, my grandmother would often utter "TTFN"* as she left the house (I guess you have to be of a certain age to understand this one. Come back Jimmy Young, all is forgiven!). However, we now seem to be obsessed by their usage.
Since taking on the role of chief executive of the ASFP, I have had the pleasure of meeting many organisations either involved in, or linked with, the fire protection industry. In the process, I have sat in meetings where everyone introduces their organisation by its acronym (and yes, I have been guilty of this myself). Likewise, when attending functions, I have been faced with a barrage of name badges all identifying the name of the organisation by its acronym. Fine, if you are fortunate enough to know what the acronym means, but totally pointless if you do not.
Yes I recognise that there are many situations where acronyms are important. After all, who wants to continually write ‘European Group of Official Laboratories for Fire Testing', when it is much easier to use the acronym ‘EGOLF', providing however that the full version appears at least once in the text.
Some acronyms are so entrenched in our day to day business lives that they engender an inevitable assumption of understanding, but for those on the fringe of technical awareness this may not be the case. In fact, the very people that we are trying to get the industry message across to can so easily be drowned in a sea of unintelligible acronyms.
The issue is made that much worse when acronyms are delivered verbally and the safety net afforded by the written word – of spelling out the acronym in full – does not exist. Walk into any computer store, for example, and ask for advice on computers. It will not be long before you are pleading with the sales guy to talk to you in plain English. I thought that BLOB was an explanation of how I felt after Christmas and not, so I am reliably informed, a ‘Binary Large Object' (a field definition for databases. Such a paradox)!
We're all guilty
However, it is all too easy to forget that in our own industry we are just as guilty of committing the same sin. On more than one occasion I have asked a fellow attendee in a meeting to explain what a given acronym has meant, only to discover that he or she does not know either! In one instance, my question turned into a debate, as it transpired that there were three versions proffered for the same acronym and no one could agree which one was correct. If this is the case among those of us who have an understanding of the business we are in, what chance those who do not?
Many acronyms in common use today have arguably become more recognisable than the full name they represent. Could you, for example, correctly define the meaning of the acronym CEN? ** I wonder how long it will be before the ‘RRO' or Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 follows the same path. It is all too easy to forget that it is the communicator's responsibility to ensure the message gets home – it is not the recipient's obligation to understand the declaration.
So, what can be done to ensure that the language we use is as unambiguous as possible? Here are just six simple suggestions:
1. When introducing your organisation always use the full name.
2. If organising a seminar, or conference, make sure the delegate name tags carry the full name of the organisation. as well as the acronym.
3. When compiling a list of attendees to a seminar, or conference, again ensure that the organisations are defined in full.
4. If managing an exhibition, make sure that the participating companies are identified in full on any promotional literature.
5. Never assume that all your audience will automatically understand the acronyms you are using, irrespective of whether your presentation is in writing or verbal.
6. Apply all the above rules to e-mails.
Determining appropriate fire protection measures can often be a complex issue, involving a variety of solutions working together to achieve the desired aim. I am sure that all who choose to read this commentary will not question the importance of clarity of understanding when determining the types of fire protection required, where they should be used, how they should be installed and who should be consulted. So let's not make it any more complicated than it needs to be.
The question is, am I a lone voice in this matter? Is there an argument for all of us to become that much more aware of how we publicise our industry; not only to each other, but to the world at large?
Wilf Butcher is chief executive officer of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP)
* Ta Ta for Now
** Comite Europeen de Normalisation
