Skincare for acronyms

Acronyms are like freckles. They just keep appearing. 

You think you couldn't possibly fit another freckle on your forearm and... you're wrong. Incredibly, more turn up.

There's no point trying to get rid of freckles. But with the right routine you can reduce the overall number of them.

Acronyms are the same.

Here’s my skincare routine for acronyms

  1. Will you use the acronym fewer than 4 times in a document?

    Yes? Then don’t introduce it. Spell the term in full.

  2. Is it 2 letters long?

    For example:

    • FY for financial year

    • QA for quality assurance

    Yes? Spell those tiddlers out in full.

  3. Can you use a word instead of an acronym?

    For instance, could you shorten:

    • Quarterly Business Performance Report to the report, not QBPR?

    • Business Development Support Team to the team, not BDST?

    Yes? Use the word. A word slides into the mind more easily.

What’s left?

You'll end up with a small set of (mostly useful) acronyms.

And you'll spell them out in full on first use because you're a thoughtful person who doesn't assume knowledge.


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