Clear communication starts with clear language.
Would someone outside our office or diocese understand every term and abbreviation in this communication?
Acronyms may seem convenient to those who use them every day, but they can leave others confused, wondering what the letters mean. Whether communicating with coworkers, parishes, schools, or the people we serve, we should make every effort to use language that is clear, welcoming, and easy to understand.
Help us identify and eliminate unnecessary acronyms throughout our ministries and the Diocese. If you encounter an acronym, report it using the form below. Your report will help the responsible office identify the material and replace unfamiliar shorthand with clear language.
Help Wipe Out Acronyms
See one? Let us know! Please provide enough information for the responsible office to locate and correct it.
Thank you for helping make diocesan communication clearer and more accessible to everyone.
How It Works
- Spot it. Notice an acronym in an email, website, document, presentation, form, promotional material, or other diocesan communication.
- Report it. Complete the short form below. Identify the office responsible and describe where you found the acronym.
- Clear it up. The report will be reviewed and forwarded to the responsible office for correction.
A Little Accountability
Clear communication is everyone’s responsibility. To encourage consistent attention to this effort, each verified occurrence will result in a $100 reduction from the responsible office’s budgeted subsidy. Reports will be reviewed before being counted, and duplicate reports of the same occurrence will not result in additional deductions.
Clear Communication Champions
Offices that receive zero reported incidences will be recognized as “Clear Communication Champions”.
FAQs
What counts as an acronym?
For this initiative, acronym is broadly defined to include shortened names formed from initials or parts of words, including initialisms that are spoken as individual letters. Examples: LPMI, CSM, GCC.
The goal is to eliminate unnecessary shorthand and internal terminology that people new to the office or diocese may not recognize. Staff should use the full name of an office, ministry, program, or process instead of assuming everyone knows what the initials mean.
What is exempt?
Not every abbreviation is equally problematic, the following items are exempt:
- Official names and designations that are required or formally established.
- DMin., USCCB
- Widely recognized terms that are part of ordinary language.
- BRB, OOO,
- Standard technical terms that cannot reasonably be replaced.
- PDF, JPG, TIFF
- Diocesan abbreviations specifically approved for consistent use.
- DOSP
What counts as an offense?
An offense is one confirmed acronym appearing in one distinct communication or resource. Repeated use of the same acronym within that same item counts as one occurrence. Different acronyms in the same item may count as separate occurrences. Duplicate reports of the same item will be consolidated and not be counted twice.
How does the $100 deduction work?
Each verified occurrence will result in a $100 reduction from the responsible office’s budgeted subsidy. A submitted report will first be reviewed to confirm that the acronym is in scope, and the office responsible for the content will be confirmed. Duplicate submissions will be consolidated.
Offices will be notified of the submission(s) and asked to correct or clarify the item if applicable. There will be a brief appeal process so that offices can raise legitimate concerns before the deduction is finalized.
When does this run?
Effective date: