Meaning in Technical Communication

Just a quick tip to be on the lookout for commonly-used words in technical discussions that are problematic due to being low on meaning and high on emotional weight. Watch out for:

• secure
• easy
• flexible
• lightweight, heavyweight
• virtual, physical, logical

If someone is using these and you are confused or trying to have a productive discussion, call them out and request for more specific, clearer words. Some better examples might be

• lower-latency
• longer startup time
• smaller network transfer size
• straightforward to add new endpoints in the future
• requires fewer processes
• lower annual cost